The Castle in the Swamp
by Be Rose
Summary: Michael learns it's not a good idea to upset a fairy godmother. She curses him to look like the beast within him. Now he has to fight the beast that wants to take over his mind, and find a companion to share his life under the swamp. A Beauty and the Beast type story.
1. Chapter 1

**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 1**

A long time ago in a land far away stood a magnificent castle. Altena Castle was surrounded by a glorious park. Beyond the park, and belonging to the estate, were four farms, simply named East Farm, South Farm, West Farm and North Farm, each with fertile fields and rich pastures. Well-tended woods surrounded the domain on three sides. Castle Avenue went completely around the park and from it roads led to the four farms. To the north Castle Avenue continued past the park towards Altena Village that straddled the river. Hills covered in vineyards marked the border of the property on that side. The Altena wines were known and praised far beyond the estate and even beyond the borders of the country.

The Lord and owner of all this was a kind and generous man, just like his father and grandfather had been. His main concern had always been prosperity and a good life for the people who lived on his farms and in his village. His happiness came from seeing his people happy.

The only damper on his happiness was the lack of a child, son or daughter, to whom he could leave everything he had worked for. His wife, seeing the years fly by, hid her unhappiness as best she could but her childlessness hurt more and more. Then, when they had nearly given up all hope, she became pregnant and finally the longed for child was born, a boy they named Michael. Everybody the parents could send an invitation to was invited to his christening. His mother even asked the fairy Zinaïda to be his godmother, something that was rarely done. That the fairy accepted was even rarer. The farmers and villagers, the lord's tenants, were invited to the party as well. It was a grand feast and people talked about it for years afterward.

Michael's parents were so pleased with him and he was such a lovely child that they spoiled him. They gave him everything he asked for and more besides. The servants too couldn't refuse him anything and as he was very intelligent, he soon learned to exploit their liking of him. By the time his parents noticed that something had gone wrong Michael was in his late teens.

As was custom in the family Michael had spent three years at a reputed school abroad, the same his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had gone to. His parents had given a big party for his return which Michael had enjoyed very much. In the days that followed he had to tell his parents everything about his time abroad, and he was happy to share his experience with them. He also accompanied his father on his tour of the farms and the village. Michael didn't greet the people as cordially as his father. In fact he was cool and distant, but everyone thought that was because he felt a bit strange after a long absence.

Two weeks after his return his mother heard him shouting at a young servant girl.

"I am the son and heir of the Lord of Altena Castle. You'll do as I tell you, immediately. Do you hear? Fetch me that drink or I'll have you dismissed instantly."

"Michael, what's the matter?" the Lady asked.

"I find we have the most impertinent servants, Mother. Instead of doing as they are told, they dare talk back. I want a drink, and this servant dared to refuse me. I want her sent away, now."

Michael's mother put her arm around the young girl who was crying so hard she couldn't speak.

"Don't cry, Lilly. Nobody's going to send you away. Go wash your face and continue with your work."

When the girl was out of hearing she turned to her son.

"A drink, Michael? Since when can't you get that yourself? Judging by the pile of linen she dropped, Lilly was busy. And I doubt very much she refused to get you that drink. Most likely she said she would get it as soon as she'd taken the linen to the washroom. Am I right?"

"Yes, but that's just it. She should have gotten my drink first and then continued with whatever she was doing."

"Don't be silly, Michael. That's not the way we do things here."

"It's the way my friends' parents do it."

"Then I pity the people that work for them. Now, let's have that drink together. I'll bring us some lemonade in the garden room."

"That will be nice, Mother."

Michael's mother thought this talk would solve the problem, but she was sadly mistaken. It was the first and certainly the least of such incidents, but definitely not the last. Soon Michael's parents had to acknowledge the truth. Their sweet-tempered, kind boy had grown up to become a selfish, uncaring, heartless young man.

They did their best to rectify what in their eyes had gone wrong with their son's education. They tried to show him that the way things were done at Altena Castle, with respect for everyone, created contentment and happiness. Sometimes they thought they had gotten through to him. For a few days he would be more like the boy they had known, but all too soon to their sorrow he would return to being the egotistical, callous, pitiless person who only outwardly resembled their son.

Then disaster struck. When Michael was twenty-two an epidemic raged through the land. Many of the vulnerable, the young, the old, the weak, died of it and one of the victims was Michael's mother. His father mourned his wife, couldn't live with his loss and slowly dwindled away until barely half a year after his wife, he too died.

ooOOoo

Michael was now the lord and master of the Altena estate. He immediately started to change the way the place was run. His servants were the first to feel that there was a new master at the manor. They were all given the choice between accepting lower wages and less free days or leave without reference letter. As it was virtually impossible to find another job without such a letter they could only accept the new conditions.

Next Michael focussed his attention on the farms. His tenant farmers were told that the rent would be instantly increased, and a larger part of the produce should go to the manor house. The farmers protested that they would barely be able to live of what was left for their own use, but Michael answered that they could always leave if they didn't like the conditions.

The people in the village too suffered from increased rents. Most of them worked in the vineyards and wine cellars. When Michael commanded that nine out of every ten barrels of wine produced be taken to the cellars of Altena Castle for his own use, so little was left to sell that their livelihood was under threat.

Because of these demands there was also a lack of food on the market except what Michael chose to sell at inflated prices. People feared for the future and turned to the one person they thought could help them, Michael's godmother, the fairy Zinaïda. She listened carefully to what the people of Altena told her about their changed circumstances, and went to see her godson, the new Lord of Altena.

"Michael, beware you don't ruin what your father left you," she said. "This has always been a prosperous place, but I fear this will be lost. Your tenants have difficulties meeting your demands."

Michael shrugged. "I always felt my father was too lenient towards those peasants. This land is mine. Why should I not take full advantage of that?"

"You're still young. I trust that one day you will see that your father's way was the right one. Prosperity begets prosperity; misery only leads to more misery."

"Dear Godmother, I prosper and I definitely don't feel miserable," Michael quipped.

Shaking her head Zinaïda left, still sure that he would see the error of his ways when he himself would start to feel the results of his bad management.

Unfortunately Zinaïda was called away by the Council of Fairies to a country far away where she and her colleagues were involved in keeping peace between several kings. Years of animosity and distrust wasn't fixed in a few days, not even in a few months, and during that time she knew little about the situation at Altena Castle and the estate. When she returned after more than a year of absence, and heard how grave the situation had become she decided to confront Michael with his bad management.

"Michael, I'm worried about the state of your land. You're ruining it," she said. "Your people are hungry. Their health is suffering. You can't continue this way."

"I suppose they came to you to complain, the farmers and villagers. If they don't like it they can go – as soon as they have paid their arrears."

"You want them to leave their homes? And even if they wanted to go, how can they? Your rents are too high. You take away all their produce. You leave them nothing. Your people are close to starvation, Michael. You have to change or they will die."

Michael did not like the fairy's criticism even if, deep down, he realised that she was probably right. He knew he was not loved like his father had been. He was feared and even hated. But even acknowledging this to himself made him even more determined to do as he pleased. It was his right as Lord of Altena Castle after all.

"You dare to interfere with how I run my property? It is mine. I do with it what I want. If the farmers don't like it, they can settle their debts and go. If the villagers want to leave, I won't stop them as soon as they pay what they owe me. But none of them do. So what if those people are hungry, what if they die, what do I care?"

Zinaïda's anger had grown and grown as she heard this but she kept her voice calm when she answered him.

"For the sake of your mother and father I will give you one last chance. I give you one month, starting from the first day of next month, to change your ways. If your behaviour is still the same at the end of next month I will have to punish you. Believe me, you will not like it."

Then Zinaïda left before she lost her temper completely.

Michael laughed, "The old biddy is going to punish me? I'm quaking with fear. Ha, what could she do to me, nothing that's what."

Instead of changing his ways, he became even harder, because somebody had tried to interfere with what he did. He ignored the little voice in the back of his head that told him Zinaïda was right.

ooOOoo

A month is soon over and in the last hour of the last day Zinaïda came to the castle. When the servant announced her arrival Michael was furious.

"Tell her I'm not in for her. Close the door and lock it. I don't want to see the old crone anymore."

The servant did as he was told but no sooner had he locked the door or an ear shattering noise ripped through the castle. It was as if a dozen bolts of lightning had struck at the same time.

Zinaïda suddenly appeared in the room where Michael was sitting. He recognised her but she didn't look like his old godmother at all. She looked younger, taller, more imposing. Her eyes flashed in anger.

"You dared lock me out? You dared ignore my warning? I was willing to forgive you because of the kindness of your parents. If you had changed your ways I would not have punished you. Now you'll feel my wrath to the full. You'll rue the day that you ignored my warning, you vile creature."

Without pausing to think she continued, "This is my curse on you. From now on your looks will mirror what you really are. No longer will you be the dashing, good-looking Michael, Lord of Altena Castle. Instead you'll be as foul and ugly as the character you've shown me. Your beautiful park will turn into a swamp; your castle, your home will be swallowed up by it and sink down deep into the mire; and you will be a slimy being, doomed to live deep under the surface where you can think about what you have done."

At first Michael looked unconcerned. He scoffed at the woman, "As if you could do any such thing. "

He looked at a mirror hanging on the wall nearby.

"Oh, look, I'm still dashing, good-looking Michael."

He'd barely finished speaking when he felt the castle moving. The curtains fell to the floor. Outside the full moon shone on a desolate landscape with a few stunted shrubs. Gone was the parkland. Through the windows Michael could see the earth moving upward. The castle was sinking down into the ground. A last ray of moonlight hit Michael in the face then the windows went dark. In the eerie light that now replaced the daylight they reflected the room, Michael and Zinaïda.

"Look at what you really are," said Zinaïda

Michael saw his reflection changing. Slime started to cover his clothes that decayed as if years of wear and tear happened all at once. His skin became blotchy green; his hair turned grey, sparse and limp. His whole body took on a greasy sheen.

"It's a trick," he said. "It's not real."

"Look at your hands. Look at your body."

He did as he said and saw green webbed claws, a body wrapped in filthy rags and feet that were not quite feet and not quite fins. Wherever he turned, in every window he saw the reflection of a creature, from every mirror a slimy beast of the swamp was staring back at him. Finally the full horror of his situation hit him.

"No … no … please … please … don't do this to me. I beg you. I'll change my life, I swear I will. Please, don't make me live like this, please."

He was on his knees in front of Zinaïda, pleading, begging.

"I warned you," she said. "I told you there would be consequences if you didn't alter your ways. Even the smallest change would have been enough to stay my hand. Instead you continued worse than before and insulted me, locking the doors in my face. There is no going back anymore."

Michael was lying at her feet, whimpering, "Please, don't, please, please. I can't live like this. Please, have pity on me."

"You want my pity? When did you ever show pity? Your own actions have brought you to this. You don't deserve pity, you don't deserve saving. You will spend eternity alone in your castle buried under the swamp."

"No … No … Don't leave me here alone. I can't live like this. I can't be alone. I've never … Please, I promise … I swear I'll change … Please, please." He was sobbing now.

Zinaïda remembered the delightful young boy, his parents' joy. She recalled the pride his parents and even she, his godmother, had felt. His quick mind, his thirst for knowledge, his kindness and sweet temper, everything pointed towards a bright future. What had gone wrong, when had he become the hard, selfish, uncaring master? She had cursed him, and with that curse had doomed him to eternal loneliness. Had she been too rash? Had her actions been guided by anger? She had wanted to teach him a lesson, but what was the point of learning a lesson if he couldn't profit by it? She couldn't change her spell, but perhaps he didn't have to be lonely.

"I'm sorry, Michael, but your tears are too late. I can't reverse the spell. But because of your parents, because of the boy you once were, and because you are my godson I will give you the chance to find a companion. Hundred years you have to live like this in the depths of the swamp, hundred years in which to learn why you were punished. After that period you will have a year in which you'll be able to go to the surface, though you won't be able to leave the swamp. You can try to find a woman who is willing to share your fate and live with you in your castle in the swamp. If after a year no woman has accepted your offer, the castle closes again. Hundred years later you'll have another year where you can go to the surface, another chance to find someone. The third and last time comes again hundred years later. If you fail that time as well, the swamp will close for ever over your solitude. That is the only comfort I can offer you. Learn the lesson I want to teach you, then go and find the woman who'll see the man beneath the creature. Farewell, Michael."

Another clap of thunder that shook the building and all was still. Zinaïda had gone.

ooOOoo


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thanks to Gekkou no Netsu and seelieprincess for following this story. Thanks to Jimli for favouriting and leaving a review and to AliceMina for the review, the following and the favouriting.  
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**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 2**

Michael gradually got up. Deep inside him a core of rage started to grow. He called his servants but not one of them came. He searched everywhere. While his anger grew, he called them, shouted for them, threatened them like he used to do, threw vases and statues to the ground, banged the doors but he found that all his servants had gone.

"I'm not staying here," he shouted. "I'm the lord of this land, the master. It all belongs to me. I'll get new servants and a girl to marry me. I'll get a dozen girls to marry me. Who would deny me? Nobody, that's who."

He opened the front door. A wall of mud and slime faced him; a putrid stink assaulted his senses. The rotting mass and funk of the swamp started to breach the enchantment. Quickly Michael closed the door but here and there it started to ooze through the walls. Everywhere he looked decay took possession of his home. The mirrors buckled from the dampness that pervaded the rooms, showing Michael a distorted image of his altered self. He tried to destroy them but failed. Every bronze object was thrown at the nearest mirror but they bounced back and he had to jump out of the way or get hit himself. In his rage he went on a destructive rampage, swiping statuettes, vases, candleholders, plates and bowls of tables and sideboards, turning over the furniture. Eventually the exertion was too much. He collapsed still raging and howling at Zinaïda's cruelty, until he cried in despair. Crying became whimpering, and he finally fell asleep.

When Michael woke up he felt hungry and thirsty. In the dining room he found a bottle of wine that had somehow survived his rage, and a few pieces of fruit that had been left untouched by the decay of the swamp. He took a big gulp of the wine and spat it out immediately. It tasted foul. The fruit he bit into made him retch.

"Are you going to let me die of hunger and thirst?" he cried out.

There was no reply.

Michael went to the kitchen in search of something he could eat and drink. He opened the kitchen tap but no pure water came out. Instead some foul-smelling, viscous goo slowly oozed from it. To his horror he felt his body bending forward to drink. His mind recoiled from the slush but the instincts of the swamp creature he'd become took over and he gulped it down. Then he started tearing down mould and fungus that had started to grow in the kitchen and ate it. They reeked as badly as the water but the creature ate them while the man inside cried in horror. The same thing happened again and again; the animal-like instinct took over every time Michael's hunger or thirst became too acute. The swamp-creature he had become lived of the filth of the swamp and the part of his mind that was still Michael could do nothing to stop it. In these feeding frenzies he became totally the beast. He dared not think about what he had become. He remembered how he had taunted the fairy, _the witch_, saying he was the dashing, good-looking Michael. Nothing was left of him. How could a woman, any woman, now or in hundred years' time want to live with this horrible, filth-eating, stinking thing?

Slowly, ever so slowly the beast became stronger and the core that was still Michael dwindled to not much more than a small flickering light. On the rare occasions that he was fully conscious there was only grief for him as every window and every mirror confronted him with what he had become. As the years passed these moments became rarer and rarer. Hardly anything was left of Michael by the time the first hundred years had passed.

Zinaïda arrived and her appearance made the creature run and hide in a dark and filthy corner where the swamp had most encroached on the building. She sought and eventually found her godson.

"Michael," she said and lightly shook the beast.

Michael felt as if he was waking up from a dark nightmare, but when he saw Zinaïda he remembered.

"Have you come to gloat? You said this punishment was so I could learn. Instead it felt as if I was slowly dying, as if I was trapped in a solid fog that squeezed the life out of me. This thing is too strong. I can't fight it."

"That thing IS you, Michael. Look," said Zinaïda and pointed at a mirror nearby.

The surface rippled and cleared to show the creature drinking the slimy liquid greedily, then slowly the picture changed and Michael saw his old self quaffing wine with the same insatiability, the red liquid dripping on his white shirt. Another ripple and he saw the swamp-thing stuffing its mouth ravenously. This image changed too to become Michael voraciously scoffing the most excellent food looking as disgusting as the creature.

"Nothing could come out that wasn't in you already, Michael. Remember that. Now follow me. I'll show you how to reach the surface."

Zinaïda, followed by Michael, went to the entrance hall. The signs of Michael's first anger at being turned into a beast were most obvious here. Furniture had been pushed over, smaller pieces seemed to have been thrown across the room, and the remnants of the breakables crunched underfoot. Through the glass at the top of the doors Michael could see the mud of the swamp.

Just then Zinaïda grabbed the door handle to open the front door and Michael jumped forward to stop her. He remembered how the stinking mud of the swamp had oozed into the castle when he had tried to get out.

"Don't worry," Zinaïda said. "Here, for just this year, is a way to the surface."

She opened the doors and revealed a solid wall with an alcove, large enough to hold two people. Zinaïda stepped inside the recess and motioned to Michael to follow her. As soon as he was inside, the front door of the castle closed.

Standing in a box with walls of solidified mud was claustrophobic, to say the least. Michael took a deep breath to calm his beating heart. If Zinaïda hadn't been there with him he would have panicked.

The fairy said, "UP!"

Instantly the cubicle rushed upwards past layer upon layer of mud and debris of the swamp. Michael noticed he was standing on a flagstone.

"That stone will take you in and out of the castle this year," Zinaïda said when she noticed what Michael was looking at. "It's the last stone of the path that led to the front door. Step on it and say 'up!' in a loud voice and it will take you to the surface where it will wait until you're ready to return. To go back to the castle you step on it, say 'down!' as loud as possible, and it will descend. As soon as you have arrived the front door will open."

"This year? And what will happen if I open the door once this year is over?" Michael asked, even though he already guessed the answer.

"A mudslide will happen, Michael, as you already know."

Just then they had reached the surface, appearing out of the depths of the swamp like the genii rising out of the theatre trap door.

When Michael saw the area that had once been a beautiful garden, he shuddered. It was a desolate place, covered by a yellow mist, in some places quite dense. From bubbling pools, putrid gasses rose to the surface.

"How far … How much …"

He couldn't finish his sentence but Zinaïda knew what he wanted to ask.

"The village is doing fine, so is the North farm. The South farm is hanging on. Of course they are no longer your property. There hasn't been a Lord of Altena Castle for hundred years. I gave the two farms to the farmers. In the village the people now own their houses, and the vineyards are now the property of the people who did the most work caring for the vines and making the wine."

"You had no right. The farms, the houses, the fields, they were all mine."

"Yours? You never cared for them. All you wanted was the profit. Well, it's all gone now. All you have is your swamp and two wetlands that were once the West farm and the East farm. They're impossible to work, so I paid the families and helped them settle somewhere else."

"Wetlands, a swamp and a beast of the swamp. You really went all-out in your revenge didn't you? You destroyed what was once fertile and beautiful."

"No, Michael. You did that. You never fought the creature because you never believed that's what you really are. The swamp is linked to its strength; give in to it and the swamp grows, beat it and it will diminish."

"This is the year in which I'm to find a girl, isn't it? How am I to do that in this place? Who in their right mind would come this way? Going to the village is equally impossible. I doubt I'd be invited with open arms considering what I look like."

"No doubt they would chase you away. Probably they would kill you straight away. But that's theoretical anyway; you can't leave the swamp. And I mean that literally. It's impossible for you to go beyond its boundaries."

"That'll make it easy for me to find someone."

His voice dripped with sarcasm. If she didn't like it, tough. What more could she do to him?

Zinaïda smiled with a smile so sweet he knew there was deadly poison in it.

"The swamp is a reflection of you. This place could have been nicer if you had been nicer. Good luck, anyway."

Before he could say or ask anything else she was gone.

He had a year to find a girl, a woman who would want to share his life, in the middle of a stinking swamp. Surely that was an impossible task.

Michael reckoned that he might have more of a chance near the edge of the swamp. He roamed the borders of his domain and naturally was seen. Just as naturally there was a hunt for the thing that had been spotted. They did not find him but he was seen a few more times that year.

Only once did he actually see a girl. Near the edge of a meadow that belonged to the South farm was a small patch in the marsh where a few flowers grew. They were strange but beautiful and the farmer's daughter wanted them. Michael had seen her and silently crept to where she was.

He didn't know what to do so he whispered "Hello."

The girl looked up, saw the slimy beast, screamed and ran. In her fear she didn't think about the direction and ran further into the swamp. Moments later Michael heard another scream. He rushed towards the area the scream had come from, realising the girl must have gotten into trouble. He saw her struggling in the quicksand and sinking faster because of it. She was sobbing and crying for help. Seeing the swamp creature coming towards her didn't help. The girl fainted and was in danger of drowning.

Without hesitation Michael jumped into the foul-smelling muddy substance. He'd been drinking the stinking stuff like water, so why wouldn't he be able to swim in it? What did he have to lose? His life? What kind of life did he have now? Anyway, technically he was over a hundred years old. That was a fair run by any standard.

He found he could indeed swim in the sticky mud. A moment later he reached the girl and dragged her out of the mire. She was unconscious but alive, so he carried her as near her home as he could. He picked the flowers she had wanted so much, wrapped the stems in damp moss and laid them next to the girl. He couldn't say why he had done this except that he had felt like doing it. The girl had nearly died because of him. She deserved a recompense. He sat next to her for a while; looking at her gentle breathing. After a while he left her side to hide nearby where he could see her without being seen. When she was regaining consciousness he left. There was no point in waiting and asking her to share his life. Her screams were still ringing in his ears.

The last person who saw the creature was a hunter. Michael had happened upon the man unexpectedly. The arrow meant for an unsuspecting duck had glanced off his shoulder. His cry of pain and anger reverberated across the area. The hunter ran even faster than the girl, and in the right direction. Years later he still told the story of the terrible, roaring beast that he had seen in the swamp, a beast that became more terrible with each telling of the tale.

And so the year was gone and Michael, the creature of the swamp was again confined to his house, sunk deep under the surface.

Zinaïda appeared in the castle at midnight on the last day of the year.

"No luck this time," she said. "There is always next time, and you only have to wait hundred years."

"Get lost," he answered. "You call this an opportunity? A chance to find someone to share my life with? Who would want to share their life with a filthy stinking beast? Admit that there is no such chance. Admit it. I am doomed for eternity and your promise is as hollow as an empty nutshell."

"Oh, I admit freely that my promise won't work for the Michael I needed to punish. He might have been good-looking but he was a vile creature. I want you to be the Michael you could have been and for him my promise will prove to be as solid as a rock."

Before he could answer the fairy was gone.

ooOOoo


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thanks to mrsbenson32605 for following this story, and to AliceMina for the review.**

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**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 3**

Michael was alone again and because he was more the man than the beast he felt the loneliness weighing on his mind. He felt sorry for himself. He hadn't deserved this. What had he done except take what was rightfully his? Why had that witch interfered with his life? Why couldn't he use his land and his people as he saw fit? Suddenly he heard the pleading voices of the people ring through his castle, asking for help, begging him to take pity on them, telling him their children died. He put his hands over his ears but still he could hear the voices. For the first time there was a glimmer of doubt whether it had been morally right to take what was rightfully his.

Eventually the voices stopped. The silence felt oppressive, heavy, nearly solid. Michael reflected on the hundred years of silence ahead of him. He knew he couldn't let the creature take over again. He feared that the part of him that was still human would be irretrievably lost. Again he felt that his punishment had been unduly severe.

He hadn't quite finished the thought when suddenly one of the mirrors in the room came to life. It showed the dining room, a dinner Michael had had with some rowdy friends. Servants were running back and forth, bringing full dishes and taking away empty plates. He laughed as he tripped up a girl who was carrying a large empty platter to the kitchen.

A boy was filling his glass from a jug. He moved his arm and he boy couldn't lift the pitcher fast enough. Red wine dripped on his sleeve. It was his own fault, he knew it was, but despite this he pushed the boy away, kicked him out of the room, and told him he could get his things and leave.

The boy begged him not to send him away. Told him he had his younger siblings to look after, he needed the work to care for them. He ignored the boy after giving him a last kick, and went back to his drinking, not caring what happened to the youngster or his family.

The mirror showed one example after the other of Michael shouting at someone for no apparent reason, or Michael punishing a servant severely for a small mistake. He couldn't get away from these images, however much he wanted, because all those years ago when he first had become the master, in his vanity the handsome Michael had ordered mirrors to be put in every room of his castle and now they all showed the same pictures. He tried to destroy them, but even the heaviest object bounced back without leaving a mark. Taking them down was impossible as well because they had become embedded in the walls.

Every time he started to feel sorry for himself he was confronted with his unjust and harsh behaviour. He could shut his eyes and cover his ears until all that was left was a muffled noise, but then the memories came, and even his mind didn't allow him peace until he accepted responsibility for his past actions.

Despite the fact that he felt more human since the arrival of Zinaïda, he still couldn't eat human food, but neither could Michael bring himself to eat the fungal growth, nor could he drink the muddy liquid that came out of the tap. This meant that hunger and thirst allowed the creature to take over to gorge itself on the filth of the swamp. Every time it was a fight for his mind and every time the beast became a little bit stronger. The internal battles lasted longer and longer, but Michael still managed to win in the end. When Zinaïda appeared again at the end of the century Michael, although weak, was still fighting to suppress the beast. He didn't run away to hide this time, and the fairy's presence helped him to get the upper hand with a last mighty effort.

Not realising how much time had passed, Michael asked, "Why are you here? To revel in my misery? Well, I am miserable. I hope you're happy."

"What _I _am happy about is seeing that you've nearly conquered the beast," she said. "But don't you know that your second chance to find a girl has come?"

Zinaïda took him to the surface again. The swamp looked still as desolate as the last time. The fairy remembered how much Michael's parents had loved the park. His mother had loved her roses, and his father had spent hours in his topiary garden. There were no roses or topiary anymore, just swampland as far as she could see. No mist or fog obscured her vision this time, and though there was still a smell of decay, the muddy pools no longer bubbled.

She smiled, satisfied with the change.

"Perhaps you will find a girl this time. I wish you all the best, Michael."

Michael didn't answer. He wondered if his chances of finding a girl might have been diminished. Wouldn't stories of some creature stop people from coming anywhere near his home? He was of course right, up to a point.

Although it had been hundred years ago that the creature had been seen, the legend of the beast in the swamp was still strong. Women would warn their children and grandchildren about the swamp because in their youth they had been scared by the stories of the vicious beast that lived there. Naturally this meant that young men dared each other to go in the swamp. They had to go home with trousers covered in swamp mud, some ankle high, some thigh high. The severe scolding their parents gave them didn't stop them, not until one of the group drowned in a muddy pool. For a few years at least the silly dares stopped.

The young girls knew a different story; the story of a creature that saved a girl and gave her magical flowers charmed them. They wanted to find the mysterious flowers. And wasn't there another story that told of a castle that had suddenly disappeared? It caused their romantic hearts to flutter.

The first time that Michael left his castle that year he saw a girl who didn't seem afraid when she saw him. She'd wandered further than anyone ever did and, by sheer luck, had not stepped off the solid ground.

"Are you the beast? I'm looking for the magic flowers," she said. "Do you know where they are?"

At first her question about magic flowers puzzled him. Then he remembered the flowers he had picked for the girl he had saved from drowning.

"Follow me, I'll give you the flowers," he said.

Without hesitation she followed. Less than an hour later he had given her what she wanted and had brought her back to safety. Michael had taken her to his underground home, had offered her coffee and cakes, had tried to talk to her, but the girl was just too dim. He was sure he could get a more intelligent response from some of the fungus in his kitchen.

A second girl, enticed because her friend had obtained the flowers, and wanting some herself, walked into the swamp. Michael came just in time to stop her from stepping onto a bright green patch of grass that really hid a mud-filled pool.

"This is the wrong way if you want the flowers," he said, as he pulled her to safety.

He never could ask her the vital question. She started crying as soon as she saw Michael. She howled so loudly that Michael dragged her back to safety and left her there. She never even asked for her flowers.

More girls wanted the beautiful flowers, and some were even brave enough to wait until Michael brought them, though they didn't want to follow him into the swamp. Some screamed as soon as they saw Michael then ran; others started running immediately and then began to scream. They had lost all interest in the flowers. Eventually one of the screaming girls confessed to her parents she'd been near the swamp and had seen the creature. They warned the villagers that the beast was on the prowl again and a hunt was started. This kept Michael underground so long that his year was nearly over when he finally surfaced again.

The last girl Michael met that year was determined to get not just some of the flowers but more of them than her friends had received. She'd started looking out for Michael as soon as the hunt was called off. Whenever she saw a movement among the shrubs she started calling.

"Are you there? Monster, I want some flowers. Give them to me."

When Michael heard her, he thought that she could be the girl who wouldn't mind staying with him.

He walked up to her from a distance so she could see him coming and wouldn't be startled by his sudden appearance.

As soon as she saw him she asked, "Did you bring me my flowers?"

He answered her, "Come with me. I'll give you as many flowers as you want."

"Will you? Great! Is it far to go? It's this way, is it? I'm looking forward to my flowers. They looked so beautiful when my friend showed them to me. She's not very clever, but really sweet. You know, you don't look very nice. Actually you look seriously ugly, but you give us pretty flowers, so you can't be all bad. You want me to stand here? Oh, it moves! We go down here, do we? Where do these flowers grow? It looks a bit icky here? It doesn't smell so good either. Actually it stinks in here. Do you live here on your own? I couldn't bear not having anyone to talk to. I just love people around me. They all love listening to my stories. I haven't lived here all my life you know. I used to live in the town, not the village. I loved it there but we had to move down here. We have family here and my father needed a job. That's why we came here. He's working now and really likes it. Are you going somewhere? Don't leave me here too long. I don't really like it very much."

_Thank God for that,_ Michael thought. _Eating fungus for all eternity is bad enough. Having her around would be a punishment too far. Even Zinaïda is not that vicious._

He came back with the flowers she'd wanted and motioned to her to follow him. He hadn't been able to say a word. The girl had started to talk as soon as she had seen him.

"What a great big bunch of flowers. Are they for me? Thank you so much. Some even have roots on them. I'll be able to grow them myself. I'm very good at growing things, you know. I even know the best spot to put them. You're really a very nice person, even if you look awful. I can't imagine why you have so many mirrors in your house. How can you bear to look at yourself all the time? It would drive me round the bend if I had to look at such an ugly face all the time. Is this the front door? Jeez, this place needs a clean. You want me to go into the cupboard? Ah, yes, this is where I got in, isn't it? We're there already, are we? That was quick. This way, is it? That was an interesting visit to your home. Glad I don't live there though. Oh, there's the road. Are you going already? Don't you want to talk a bit longer? It's been so interesting talking to you? Oh, you've gone already. Goodbye then!"

Michael heaved a sigh of relief when he was back in his silent home. His ears were buzzing from the incessant chatter. The next day Zinaïda came as the last seconds of the year ticked away.

"I'm sorry you didn't find a girl again. Although the first and last one were distinct chances at success."

"You don't believe that, do you?" Michael said. "You couldn't have a decent conversation with either of them. The first one didn't have anything to say; she was too silly for words. And the last one kept talking none stop; she gave me a headache. I don't think she even stopped to breathe."

"Either one of them might have stayed with you."

"No thank you. I'd rather be alone than have to live with that sort of woman."

Zinaïda laughed.

"You have learned something of importance at any rate. Goodbye, Michael. The next hundred years will be over sooner than you think."

Then she left and the castle in the swamp was silent and lonely again.

ooOOoo

The last few years of the previous hundred had changed something in Michael. Now he was determined to subdue the beast inside him. Of course he still had to let the creature take over occasionally. He couldn't bring himself to eat and drink the stuff that kept him alive – he shuddered at the thought – but eventually hunger and thirst became too acute, and the beast driven by the instinct to preserve life broke lose. After each feed there was a mental fight with the swamp-thing but this time Michael managed to beat it, even if sometimes it was rather a close call. He realised that to control the beast he had to do something to keep his mind busy, alert, and most of all human. But what can you do when you're stuck at the bottom of a swamp? Needlework?

The idea of holding a needle with his webbed fingers made Michael laugh. He couldn't remember when he had last laughed like that. He had guffawed and sniggered in mockery of some poor devil often enough, but a chuckle because of something funny was far too long ago. Not since he'd read that funny little book. It had been written like a dairy, and he had enjoyed it, but his friends had mocked him for liking it.

His friends? He hadn't thought of them in … well, centuries. Had they really been 'friends'? He couldn't imagine any one of them would have claimed him as a friend now. He had wanted so much to belong to that group, and had changed in order to become one of them. Quite quickly he'd become a core member of the group instead of just a hanger-on, only by altering some of his ways. It had been easy. All he'd had to do was put himself first, and look down on everyone else. To have pleasure had been the only goal of the group of friends, but their pleasure always came at the expense of those that were weaker, those he should have protected like his parents had done.

This time Michael didn't need the mirror to remind him of the way he had acted, or of the pain he'd caused his parents with his behaviour. They had talked to him endlessly, trying to make him see that being the Lord of Altena meant having responsibilities, and those he and his friends had avoided at all cost. Responsibilities? Surely not! Being rich was having fun, let others worry, take what you could from life, enjoy the power. They had certainly done the latter. Wait for a busy servant to pass by, ask for something trivial, and insist they do it immediately, then rage at them for not doing the job they were stopped from doing in the first place.

Michael shook his head. Such a mean use of power. Had he really enjoyed doing that? No surprise that his mother had looked at him as if she wondered what had happened to her boy, and who the stranger was pretending to be him. She had not been enchanted by the friends he had invited to his home.

Suddenly his anger flared up. Those friends had been just as bad as him, some even worse. Why was he the one who was punished, who suffered because of what the whole group had done? Was that fair? No! It wasn't! And nobody could disagree with that, not even Zinaïda. So why?

The answer came quickly, as if someone had whispered it in his ear. _Because someone cared, because someone was saddened that so much promise had gone to waste._

_And of course, _he thought_, because I angered a powerful fairy, a witch who could turn me into a beast. _

That brought him back to his original thought: what to do to keep his mind occupied, and the beast subdued. Not needlework. Michael smiled. That was out, no doubt about that, even if he'd been able to hold a needle. But he could hold a book. Was reading the answer? At one time he used to read a lot. He used to enjoy it.

Michael tried to recall why he had stopped reading, and had to admit it was because he'd become an unbearably vain oaf more interested in looking at his reflection in the mirror than perusing the pages of a book. Reading might be the best if not only solution to his problem. He went to the library in his castle, wondering what kind of destruction he would find there. To his surprise it hadn't been touched. He wondered if Zinaïda had somehow kept the library safe from his destructive rampage. When he found some priceless statues, pottery, vases and paintings hidden around the room he knew for sure. Somehow the fairy had kept him out of the library. She had used it as a kind of Noah's Ark for the most prized possessions of Altena Castle.

Looking around the room Michael found some much-loved books. He took them down, read a passage here and there, and remembered the joy they had given him. It was like meeting some dear old friends again, real friends. He also found the funny little diary, the last book he had read. He sat down in one of the easy chairs and started from the beginning. Soon he was laughing out loud at the antics of the main character. He couldn't put the book down, not until he had read the last sentence on the last page. Then he closed the book and sat back. Yes, he had found exactly what he needed to keep his mind busy.

Reading became an escape from the swamp for Michael. He could be any place in the world – any world – in a book and could meet a wide variety of people. He could read thrilling adventures and feel the rush of the excitement course through his body but he also liked the kind of books where every word was carefully selected, just the right word in the right place. Reading could make him laugh or cry, could make him feel exhilarated or calm and peaceful. It made him think about his past actions and realise his punishment had not been undeserved.

Best of all, as he had hoped it kept the beast subdued. He was more man again. Because of this Michael had also changed his eating pattern. Instead of waiting until hunger and thirst drove his creature's instincts to act, he let it take over at mealtimes every day. His increased control meant he didn't have to fight the beast within so hard to suppress it. He likened it to an obedient dog that would come instantly when he called it to heel.

Michael read book after book from his library; not just novels, but also poetry and non-fiction. He learned new things, expanded his mind and managed to escape at least mentally from the castle in the swamp.

ooOOoo


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Thanks to KuumaPeruna for following, and a big thank you to AliceMina and mrsbenson32605 for leaving a review.  
**

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**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 4**

A century is a long time. Even if nothing happened in Altena Castle under the swamp, life continued at its normal pace in the village and on the two remaining farms, just as it did further afield. The world didn't stop while Michael waited for the last hundred years to end.

In Ashton-Upon-Usk, a city several days travel away from Altena, Martin, a young merchant, married his childhood sweetheart, Elizaveta. The early years of their marriage were a struggle financially, but eventually, though they didn't become rich, they did well enough. Their first child was born just when Martin's luck started to change. When the midwife told him he had become the father of a baby girl he wanted to call her Felicity because of the luck she seemed to have brought with her. He entered the bedroom, and approached his wife. She was not asleep, but smiled at him.

"Hello darling," she said. "Meet your firstborn, Yuliya."

"Yuliya? Unusual name."

"It's not unusual in my family."

"Yuliya it is then."

"Are you disappointed she's not a boy?" Elizaveta asked.

"Of course not. We have time enough to have more children. We'll have a boy one day."

"And we'll name him Martin, like you and your father."

"If you say so, Elizaveta. You can name all our children, my dear."

They had to wait three years before their second child was born, another girl they named Irina. Annushka was born the following year. Martin and Elizaveta had now three daughters, and they loved the girls dearly, but they still hoped the next child would be a boy.

Five years after the birth of the youngest girl Martin's wife finally became pregnant again. Unfortunately she died with her fourth child, the longed-for heir to the merchant's business.

Before she died Elizaveta told her husband, "Martin, you will meet a woman who will be a good mother for the girls and a good wife for you. Marry her. Don't remain alone because of me."

With tears in his eyes Martin protested he could not remarry because he loved his wife. She kept insisting however, and in the end he promised.

"If ever the right woman appears I'll marry her."

In the last month of Elizaveta's pregnancy her oldest daughter Yuliya, then nine, had quietly taken over her mother's responsibilities. She did her best to look after her younger sisters, Irina and Annushka. The task however was too big for the little girl. As soon as the first paralysing grief had eased a bit, Martin realised this and he decided to hire a governess.

Several letters arrived in answer to his advertisement. One in particular caught his attention. Miss Danes came highly recommended and had good credentials. She and a younger sister had been teachers in her oldest sister's private boarding school. When the sisters had found husbands and the school had closed down, she had become a governess. Martin was sure that a woman with such experience and such glowing references would be the right person to teach his girls.

Miss Danes was invited to present herself. She arrived exactly at the appointed time, which Martin liked. He asked her about her experience as a teacher and a governess.

"As well as the girls at my sister's school I have so far guided the girls of two important families from childhood to young womanhood," she said with evident pride.

Martin studied her surreptitiously while she was talking. He knew she was late forties, and she certainly looked it. She was a tall woman, perhaps even taller than he was, and rather too thin for his taste. She seemed to be rather serious, but that could be nerves. Her experience and apparent knowledge made him think she was the right person, a gem of a governess.

They agreed on wages, her free time, and other details of the job, and of course Martin showed her the rooms she would have at her disposal. Not just the schoolroom and playroom for the children but also the sitting room and bedroom for her private use.

Miss Danes was as satisfied with the position as Martin was with Miss Danes, and the contract was signed. Then Martin introduced the new governess to his daughters. Yuliya looked at the woman for a long time. Miss Danes didn't like it, but she thought she could make a good impression on the father by showing she could discipline the children.

"It's rude to stare at people like that," she said to Yuliya.

"I'm very sorry, Miss. I didn't mean to be rude," the girl answered.

That evening when the girls said goodnight to their father, Yuliya asked if she could have a word with him in private.

"Of course you can," Martin said. "I'll always have time for my children. What did you want to say?"

"I think there's something wrong with our governess, Father. She looks strange to me."

"What do you mean, Yuliya? She looks perfectly normal to me."

"She …" Yuliya didn't know how to say it, then blurted out "She looks like a snake."

"Yuliya, that is silly. You know people can't look like snakes."

"I know but … she does … sometimes. I'm scared of her."

"I won't have you making up ridiculous stories like that. You were very good when your mother … you were very good, but you're too young. You need a governess."

"I know, but not this one, Father."

"I'm disappointed in you, Yuliya. Clearly you don't like Miss Danes for some unfounded reason. I'll hear no more of this. Understood?"

Yuliya saw that her father meant it.

"Yes, Father. Good night," she said and went to bed.

ooOOoo

Miss Danes seemed to be an ideal person – at least to the merchant. The children were always quiet and never complained. When Martin came home late they were already asleep, or so their governess told him. She then brought him a coffee, and made sure he could relax. He felt very comfortable having a woman around.

One day he came home earlier than normal, and saw his two youngest daughters dressed in torn and filthy dresses. He asked Miss Danes why this was.

"They are always doing this, Sir. Those dresses were new yesterday. I told them to be careful and not play like savages and moments later they looked like this. I made them wear the dresses today as a punishment for being naughty. I'm sure they won't do it again."

"Have you two been such naughty children?" Martin asked his youngest daughters.

They gave the governess a quick sideways glance. Then with heads hanging down they whispered, "Yes, Father."

"You will listen to your governess in future?"

Heads even lower, their "Yes, Father" was barely audible.

When he asked why Yuliya wasn't there, Miss Danes said; "She is writing lines. I had to punish her for being rude and talking back."

Because he was at home Irina and Annushka were allowed to say goodnight to their father. They were even quieter than earlier when they came into his office with their governess. Yuliya wasn't with them. She was still doing her lines.

"Send her to me when she's finished, whatever the time," Martin said.

It was close to midnight when Yuliya entered her father's office. He had nearly forgotten he'd asked for his daughter to be sent to him. He saw the girl was tired, and decided that sternness at such a time might make a deeper impression on his daughter.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Yuliya. I had hoped you would be a good example to Irina and Annushka, but it seems that your dislike of Miss Danes results in bad behaviour. Now I hear Irina and Annushka are naughty as well. I hope you didn't encourage them, because I won't have it, Yuliya, and I will punish you if this continues. You can go to bed now," he said in a stern voice and didn't offer his cheek for the normal goodnight kiss.

"Father, please believe me. Miss Danes is not looking after Irina and Annushka. I don't know what she does with their clothes, but she dresses them in rags and makes them sit on a stool all day long. They're not allowed to speak or play and she doesn't teach them anything either. And I have to write lines every day because I dare tell her that it isn't right. Please, Father, we don't mind having a governess, just not this one."

The plea of his daughter touched Martin. He had never caught her lying before. Determined to know the truth he left early the next day, seemingly to go to his business but he only went out of sight of the house and returned secretly to learn what happened. When he went around the back of the house in order to enter via the trade entrance he saw a pedlar's wagon standing there. Somebody inside the house handed something to the man standing just outside. Even from a distance he recognised Miss Danes, and saw she was selling children's dresses. He waited until the transaction was finished, the door was closed, and the pedlar was coming down the road.

Martin hailed the man and pretended to be a father looking for a present for his daughter.

"I've forgotten her birthday," he said. "And my wife won't forgive me if I don't bring something."

The pedlar said that he understood and started showing all sorts of toys while Martin kept shaking his head.

"She's a real little miss, my daughter, even if it's only her sixth birthday. I don't think a toy will do. Thank you for showing these, but I'll have to look elsewhere."

"Wait a moment. I may have what you're looking for."

Out of the back the man brought out two dresses that Martin recognised as the gifts he'd brought for his little girls only a week earlier. The pedlar began to praise the quality, the workmanship, and the distant lands it came from.

"I know exactly where they came from. These are my daughters' dresses, and unless you tell me instantly who sold them to you and how much you paid for them, I'll take you to the magistrate."

The man panicked and pushed the dresses in Martin's hands.

"I didn't know," he protested. "She said the girl had grown out of them. How was I to know she was lying?"

"Have you bought more dresses from the woman?"

"Yes, I have. She told me she was the lady of the house, and I had no reason to doubt her. She looked so respectable, and then there was the way she talked to the servant girl who opened the door."

"I'm afraid you've been lied to. How much did you pay?"

The man said he didn't want the money, but eventually said how much the dresses had cost him, and Martin paid without hesitation.

The man put the money away and said, "I can't return the other dresses she sold me. They are gone already. I don't get such good merchandise every day."

"I understand," Martin said. "Go now, and be more careful in future when you buy your merchandise."

The pedlar hurried away and Martin walked to his home. He slipped in through the kitchen, and couldn't help notice that the staff there looked pleased to see him home unexpectedly. He went up to the children's schoolroom. Even from a distance he heard Miss Danes shrieking.

"How dare you question my methods? Your sisters have to learn to sit still. And you, I'll tell your father just how badly behaved you are."

"Annushka needs to go to the bathroom. She'll wet herself. Can't you see?"

"All I see is a naughty child that won't sit still. And she'd better not wet herself. She knows how I punish children who deliberately wet themselves."

Her tone of voice was nasty, unfeeling, threatening. It promised dire consequences.

"She doesn't do it deliberate. Please, let her go to the bathroom."

Martin heard Yuliya pleading with the woman. Annushka was sobbing. What Miss Danes said next shocked him completely.

"I'm going to teach the three of you to obey, and when I marry your father – which won't be long believe me – then you'll be sent to a boarding school, and I know one that will beat the rebellious spirit out of you."

Martin had heard enough. He pushed the door to the children's playroom open and sacked the governess on the spot. She tried to protest, but when Martin told her he knew about her trade with the pedlar she went quietly, and didn't even dare ask for a reference.

ooOOoo

New governesses followed in quick succession. Martin would introduce the new candidate and Yuliya would look at her and shake her head. Sure enough, the woman proved to be either nowhere near as good as her references promised, or determined to lure the widower into marriage, or both. In the end, after a year of failures, Anna, a young girl of twenty, found favour in the girl's eyes. With the help of Yuliya the new governess settled in quickly and the merchant had to admit that his daughter had made the right choice.

For four years Anna was governess to the three girls. Then Yuliya asked her father for a private word again.

"Is something wrong, Yuliya?" Martin asked his daughter.

The girl came right to the point.

"I think you should marry Anna, Father. She would be a good wife to you and we all love her very much."

"Yuliya, I think you're a bit young for this. Men and women don't get married just like that. I loved your mother very much and she loved me. That is the kind of marriage I want."

Then a thought struck him.

"Did Anna ask you to tell me this?"

"Of course not," Yuliya answered. "Anna wouldn't do that." And after a short hesitation she added, "But why can't you marry Anna? You love her, don't you? And she loves you."

"What? Who told you that?"

Martin was dumbfounded that somebody had discovered his secret feelings for the governess. He was also annoyed that it was talked about in his daughter's hearing and was prepared to bring the culprit to task. What he was not prepared for was Yuliya's answer.

"Nobody told me, Father. I can see it. You glow when you talk to each other."

Martin looked at his daughter not knowing what to think. He had noticed before that Yuliya had something of a sixth sense with people. There had of course been the rejected governesses Yuliya had been right about. There had also been an incident with a theft when his daughter had found the thief and asked to pardon him saying he wouldn't do it again, which he hadn't. Strangest of all had been the case with a certain business partner. The man had come to a dinner party, and as usual Martin had introduced his girls to the guests before sending them to bed. Afterwards Yuliya had told him not to trust the man. He had listened to his daughter, mainly because of his own misgivings, and had avoided a crippling loss of money. One thing was true though, Yuliya's observations had always been right.

"You don't think I'm too old for Anna? I'm twelve years older, you know."

Yuliya shook her head. "Of course not."

"You would like her for a new mother?" was the merchant's next question.

"Yes, Father. Irina and Annushka love her as well. We would be a real family again," Yuliya answered.

Martin suddenly felt uncomfortable. He was talking about some very intimate things with his daughter, a young girl. It didn't feel right, so he ended the conversation.

"I'll think about it, Yuliya. This is serious business, not something for girls your age."

"Yes, Father," the girl said and left, smiling because her father clearly forgot she was fifteen already, and not a child like her siblings.

The conversation with his daughter set the merchant thinking. He knew that being his girls' mother would be better for Anna as well as his daughters. He knew he loved the young woman and according to Yuliya she loved him. After a week of pondering he made up his mind and sent for Anna.

"You called for me, Sir?" she asked as soon as she entered his office.

"I have, Miss Anna. Please sit down."

She sat down on the edge of a chair, waiting for the merchant to speak. Instead Martin paced up and down the room. Anna started to wonder if he wanted to dismiss her. Perhaps he wanted another governess now the girls were growing up, not such a young one. Perhaps he felt she had been good when his daughters needed more play than learning but now he wanted somebody with more experience. All Anna's thoughts centred around one thing; she would have to leave and she'd never see the girls or their father again. She had been warned about the pain of leaving cherished pupils, but this was far worse. She would have to leave the man she loved. Anna decided she could not wait any longer. Knowing was preferable to this endless uncertainty.

"Sir, did you perhaps want to give me my notice? "

The question stopped Martin's pacing immediately.

"Why would I want to give you your notice, Miss Anna? In fact the girls like you so much that they want you to stay here permanently. Miss Anna, I'm asking you to become the girls' mother."

Anna didn't know what to say. This was a grand offer and she knew it. This meant security for the future, a home, being with the girls she'd come to care for so much, being HIS wife. But that was the problem; all he'd talked about was the girls and their need for her. What about his need? Did he need her or would she be his wife in name only?

"You don't answer, Miss Anna. Did I upset you with my question?"

Anna decided to be truthful.

"I admit, Sir, that I am surprised at your question. My head tells me to take this opportunity but my heart warns me about a marriage for the wrong reasons."

His heart sank when he heard her words. Yuliya had been wrong about Miss Anna's feelings. But the young woman hadn't finished talking.

"I'll be totally honest with you, Sir. You ask me to be a mother for your daughters but if that is your only reason for asking me I have to say 'no'. I love the girls, but they are not the only ones who have stolen my heart. Being your wife would make me the happiest woman alive if you wanted me because _**you**_ cared for me. My love is the only dowry I have and I could not live with the idea that it was not wanted. I could not be your wife if all that meant was being the lady of the house and being the mother of your children. The coldness of such a marriage would kill me. Sir, I love you and that's why I can't marry you."

No sooner had Martin heard these last words or he sank down on his knees in front of Anna and took her hands in his. The joy he felt could be heard in his words.

"Dear Miss Anna, forgive me my clumsy proposal. I'll be honest with you as you were with me. When my wife died I thought my heart had died with her, but your presence in the house made me realise it was still very much alive. I mentioned my daughters because I thought you would accept my proposal for them. The truth is that I want you to be my wife because I love you too. That my daughters like you and will be overjoyed to have you for a mother is only an added bonus; something to make our happiness complete. My dearest Miss Anna, make me the happiest and luckiest man alive and say you'll be my wife."

And all Anna could say was, "Yes, I will."

The wedding took place as soon as it could be arranged. Anna's dress was very simple. Its only decoration was the lace bodice. More would have distracted from the beautiful handmade lace veil that trailed behind her. Yuliya, Irina and Annushka acted as bridesmaids. Martin thought his daughters really looked like fairies, Yuliya in light pistachio green, Irina in pale ice blue, and Annushka in delicate soft pink. Of course some people said it was not right to marry the governess, especially one who was so young; surely too young to be a mother to his girls. But people who cared saw a happy family and wished them luck.

ooOOoo

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**AN: In case you wonder, I haven't forgotten Michael. He will be back.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: To seelieprincess and AliceMina: Thank you for the review. To XvideogamegirlX and ShadowNinja1011: Thank you for following.**

**This is another chapter without the Beast, but he will be back soon.**

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**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 5**

Year after year went by uneventfully. Not even the birth of a child broke their even course. As yet, Anna did not worry. She said she was still young enough to have several children.

Sometimes Martin thought how prophetic the last words of Elizaveta, his first wife, had been. His marriage to Anna was everything he could have hoped for, and Yuliya, Irina and Annushka loved her. The two younger girls called her 'Mother', and had done so from the day of the wedding. Yuliya however kept calling her 'Anna'. Martin would have corrected his daughter, but Anna had stopped him. She knew that Yuliya loved her as much as her sisters did, and that she said 'Anna' instead of 'Mother' was totally unimportant.

Anna continued to teach the girls. That is why instead of a new governess, a housekeeper had been hired. Mrs Jackson was good at her job, even if there were the odd clashes with Cook. So far Anna had always been able to smooth ruffled feathers, and the household ran as smooth as possible, especially considering that the animosity between the housekeeper and Cook had slowly increased over the years.

Yuliya, Irina and Annushka grew up from young girls to young women, and with it came Martins worst headache. Especially the two younger girls had become as beautiful as their mother had been. That combined with a potentially large dowry attracted eligible and not so eligible bachelors of all ages. Even if he could control who had access to his house, Martin was too aware that he was powerless to prevent meetings at social events elsewhere.

Then unexpectedly a lawyer arrived who brought a solution to Martin's problem. The man introduced himself as 'James Hodgson, of Hodgson, Hodgson, Hodgson and Bourne' a law firm with an excellent reputation. Seeing Martin's obvious surprise at the visit the man came straight to the point.

"I have the pleasure of informing you that you are the sole heir of your uncle, George Haywood," Mr Hodgson said.

Martin could vaguely remember Uncle George.

"I'm actually not sure I ever met him. Perhaps once when I was still a child. Not only was he a very distant relation, he was also a misanthrope who never wanted to see anyone. One day he just disappeared. Nobody in the family knew where he'd gone to."

"That's how he wanted it," the lawyer said. "He'd gone looking for the most lonely, desolate place imaginable, and he found it in a farmhouse on the edge of a swamp. The isolation of the place sealed the deal. With the nearest neighbour living the other side of the swamp there would be no unwanted visits, so he made the farmer a splendid offer, and the man accepted. Your uncle told me how he loved the way the wind howled around the house, the desolate surroundings, and the bleak, barren landscape."

"Do you mean I have inherited an old farm?"

"Not at all. Your uncle demolished the farm and had a grand house built. He lived there all alone except for his servants, a married couple as grim as their master. I believe I was the only other person he ever saw. When your uncle died of old age the servants called me as instructed. In his desk I found the will he'd had me write five years ago in which he leaves everything to you, his most distant nephew."

"But why me?" Martin asked, still surprised at the bequest. "He had other, closer relatives."

"Yes, money grabbing vultures he called them. You on the other hand married your sweetheart, a girl with little or no money. That impressed your uncle, and he felt for you when she died so young. Then, when you married your girls' governess for love, George wrote his will, leaving everything to you."

"I still don't understand."

"Did you ever wonder why your uncle was such a loner?"

"I didn't really think of him at all. Why would I? We weren't close, he had plenty of cousins and nephews, and I had no reason to believe he even knew of my existence."

"I understand. George became interested in you after your first marriage. You see, when he was young he had a sweetheart, but she wasn't rich enough for the family. His father forced him to wed a wealthy heiress who died in an accident nineteen years later together with her much younger lover. That's when your uncle broke with the family, and became the apparent misanthrope."

"I never knew. Poor man," Martin said.

"Your uncle searched for his true love hoping to have at least a happy old age with her, but when he found her years later it was too late. According to her relatives she had rejected several offers of marriage, and had died a spinster. Her family gave him a portrait of the lady as a young girl. It was your uncle's most cherished possession."

ooOOoo

Once all the paperwork had been dealt with Martin went with Mr Hodgson to see the property he'd inherited. Despite the nearness of the swamp there was no sickening dampness about. No putrid fumes or fogs made the area unhealthy to live in. Quite the contrary. There were no chimneys spewing forth smoke, no open sewers polluting the air with their stench. The only thing he could smell was the rich earth. When he saw the large house situated in ample grounds he decided to move there with his family.

Of course Martin discussed the move with Anna.

"Irina and Annushka are now of marriageable age," he said. "It will be easier to ensure they only meet suitable young men when we live away from this busy city. Here it is too difficult to control whom they see. I'm worried about them. They are nineteen and eighteen years old now, and they are very pretty girls, beautiful even. I see how men look at them and I hear their silly compliments."

"I agree, Martin. I try to steer them right, more by asking questions that make the girls think, than by criticising the men they like." She smiled. "All three have inherited a good dose of stubbornness from their father."

Martin smiled as well, recognising the truth of what Anna said.

"At least I don't have to worry about Yuliya. She's not so susceptible to sweet-talking young men."

"Yuliya's problem is the opposite," Anna remarked. "The men overlook her because of her pretty sisters, and she doesn't even try to catch their attention. Do you remember our last garden party? She was standing near the oak tree, looking at her sisters and their friends, who were laughing and chatting, surrounded by every bachelor at the party. I asked her, 'Why don't you join them, Yuliya? You might meet a nice man.' She just smiled and said, 'They are like the scenery in the theatre, wonderfully enchanting from a distance, but when you get up close, you know it's board and canvas and paint.' No, Yuliya won't be taken in by compliments, but is she willing to accept that nobody is perfect?"

"Yuliya isn't looking for perfection. Elizaveta once told me that in her family every so often a girl is born with uncanny abilities. I think Yuliya is such a girl. I think she can tell instantly what sort of person she faces, and so far nobody has impressed her favourably," Martin explained. Then he sighed, "That's another reason why I want to get away from this city. Let's tell the girls about the move now. They'll be waiting for us. We're later than usual for afternoon tea."

Martin and Anna went into the parlour together. Annushka was pouring the drinks, Irina was lying on a chaise longue, and Yuliya was reading a book, as usual. As soon as everyone had their favourite drink Martin decided it was silly to wait any longer.

"Girls, I've got an announcement to make," he said.

He had barely finished his sentence when there was a knock at the door. A very nervous maid came into the room immediately after Martin's short, "Enter!"

"Sir, Madam, please, could you come to the kitchen. There is a problem. Mrs Jackson is shouting and Cook is not happy. It's worse than ever," she said sounding flustered.

"We'll be there in a moment, dear," Anna told the girl who left immediately.

Martin nodded at his wife, understanding she wanted him to tell his daughters about the impending change first.

"I have special news," he started. "I've inherited a nice large house in a village in the countryside. We'll move there as soon as the place is restored and modernised. I'm sure we'll be happier there than here in this big, dusty city."

Before the girls could recover from the surprise, Martin and Anna had gone to sort out the problem in the kitchen.

Annushka was the first to voice her opinion.

"I won't see my friends anymore. I will die so far away from them," she wailed.

"Don't exaggerate, Annushka," Irina said. "You won't die because you can't see one of your flighty friends. There's much worse. How can we meet a wealthy husband in a village full of peasants?"

"What about a library, or a theatre?" Yuliya wanted to know.

"A library!" Annushka and Irina shouted out together.

"You are so boring, Yuliya," Irina added. "How will you find a wealthy husband if you're always stuck with your nose in a book? Men don't want a bookish wife. They want a sweet, pretty woman in their home, like a precious pearl in a golden setting."

"That's true. Anton says so too." Annushka counted on her fingers, "A wife has to be there for her husband. She has to listen to him when he wants to talk about his day, and be silent when he is tired. She has to take care of his needs, show a happy face, and never nag. She has to make his home a paradise."

"Yes, I'm sure that's what Anton says," Yuliya remarked "I don't know what you see in him, Annushka. He's so shallow, nothing more than an empty shell."

"I agree with Yuliya there, Annushka. If he were wealthy it would be different, but he's got barely enough to live off. And he's absolutely not interested in working, the idler."

"He's not an idler. He's a poet. He writes such wonderful poems about love everlasting. And he suffers so much because nobody understands him."

"I certainly don't understand his 'poems'. The only good thing about this move is that you won't see that Anton anymore. He can't afford to follow you. But I'll miss Alex. He's got money for the trip, but with so many girls here wanting him, he doesn't need to travel to the hellhole we will be stuck in."

"Alex is a cold fish. I wouldn't want him with double the money. At least Anton cares."

"Oh yes, Anton cares … about Father's money."

"Irina! Annushka! Please! No quarrelling. Neither Anton, nor Alex is worth it."

"I've asked you not to pry into my friends, but you just can't help yourself, can you Yuliya?"

Irina sounded annoyed. She had always thought her sister was a strange girl, the way she could tell what kind of person somebody was, as if she could look right into their soul. Irina preferred to find out for herself.

"I didn't pry, Irina. Only someone who is totally blind or madly in love would fail to see what kind of man Alex is. And the same goes for Anton. Of course with you there is also the possibility that you are wilfully ignoring the truth because the man is rich."

Irina shrugged. "Of course I want a rich man. Wealth is a more secure source of happiness than love."

"You two are such cold fish. Irina, you would send away the best man in the world because he didn't have enough money. And you, Yuliya, you don't ever allow yourself to just fall in love. You dissect the poor man first to see if he's the right one."

"Yes, and so far the right one hasn't appeared."

"At least _we _don't fall head over heels for every idiot who can quote two lines of poetry," Irina added waspishly.

"Oh! That is so mean, Irina."

Before Annushka and Irina could start bickering again, Martin and Anna returned. They had barely time to close the parlour door before they were inundated with the girls' pleas.

"Please, please, Father, can't we stay here in Ashton? All my friends are here, and I don't know anyone in that village."

"Please, Mother, can you tell Father that we'll never meet a decent husband in a hole like the one he wants to move to?"

"There is a library and a theatre there, isn't there? Please, Father, tell me there is at least a library."

"Girls! Girls! We're moving to a village, not to the wilderness," Martin said.

Then he told his daughters everything he knew about the place they would move to.

"Altena is not a large village, but I found people there very friendly. There is of course this swamp between our new home and the village, but there is a good, safe road, and it's an easy walk towards our nearest neighbours at the North Farm, and on to Altena."

"Isn't the swamp a problem, Father?" Yuliya asked.

"Not really, Yuliya. True, it is a bleak and desolate place, but we will have a garden around our house. It's not even a problem when you walk to the village, and I'm sure you will do that a lot. There is a library in the main street and if they haven't got what you want, they can get it from the main library in Ellinford, the town nearby." Then Martin added, "We'll be going to Ellinford regularly anyway, to go to the theatre, or for you ladies to go shopping. I'm sure we'll soon settle in, and you won't miss anything. You won't want to come back to Ashton-Upon-Usk."

"Of course we will. We won't see any of our friends anymore. That is just too awful." Annushka nearly cried.

"I won't see Alex anymore, and Annushka will miss Anton terribly," Irina added, siding with her sister in this.

"I can't regret the loss of those two," Martin said. "But if you still miss them six months after we have moved, I will personally invite them to come over. Can that meet with your approval, ladies?"

"It does. By then Annushka will hopefully have fallen for someone whose poetry is better than Anton's, but I won't have forgotten Alex," Irina said.

"Not unless a richer man has shown up, you mean," Annushka snapped. "I will be true to Anton. You'll see."

"You're a flighty creature, Annushka. I'm sure I'll see you madly in love with a new man soon enough."

"I'd better check if he's wealthier than Alex first. I won't stand a chance if he is."

"You annoying, little-"

"Girls! Enough!" Martin roared. "I won't have you arguing about two such useless characters as Alex and Anton."

"Alex isn't useless. He is wealthy."

"No, Irina, his father is wealthy. Alex only spends his allowance, and when that is finished he gets some more from his mother. I know that his father is not happy about it."

Irina shrugged, sat down in the chaise longue again, and didn't say another word.

Martin looked at his youngest daughter.

"No need to look smug, Annushka. That Anton is just as bad, if not worse. I hope you know he broke off an engagement. The girl's aunt and guardian told him that although she had money, her niece hadn't and would never have any. That's when he decided she was not the right one. Fortunately the engagement had not been made public. And I'm very grateful to the lady for warning me about this scoundrel."

"He didn't love that girl, but he loves me. He does," Annushka cried, but she wasn't entirely sure whether she was trying to convince her father or herself.

Martin hoped he hadn't pushed Irina and Annushka into extreme stubbornness with his criticism of Alex and Anton.

"At least the problem with Mrs Jackson and Cook is solved," Martin said. "We'll just have to find a new housekeeper and hope she and Cook will get along. Mrs Jackson prefers to stay in the city."

"And who can blame her," Irina grumbled under her breath.

ooOOoo

Before they could move to their new home it needed to be altered to suit a family with three young girls. First of all Martin pensioned off the old man and woman who'd been his uncle's servants. Then the house needed some improving. Upstairs a couple of bedrooms were turned into en-suite bathrooms. New larger windows with big window seats let in as much light as possible. Walls were knocked down to turn cramped little holes into spacious living quarters. New light fittings ensured that even on dark evenings the rooms didn't become gloomy caverns. Then the decorators finished the job with bright wallpaper everywhere.

When the house was finished a team of gardeners changed the grounds around the house from wasteland to a private Eden. New servants were hired, some to replace those that had preferred to find new jobs in Ashton rather than move so far away, others because the new house needed more staff than the much smaller one they left. Miss Davis, the new housekeeper, cousin and friend of Cook, would be waiting for them when they arrived.

Two months after Martin told his family about the move, they left for their new home. The friends of Irina and Annushka had come to wave them out. Their shouts rang in the early morning air.

"Write soon. You will write soon, won't you?"

"I will. As soon as I have found a place for my desk."

"We will miss you!"

"We will miss you too!"

"Goodbye! Safe journey!"

"Goodbye, goodbye."

Irina waved one last time and settled down, while Annushka kept waving until the carriage had turned the corner onto the main road out of the city.

"I didn't see Alex or Anton there to say goodbye. Couldn't they come today?" Martin asked.

"Alex? Why would he be there? I told him weeks ago I didn't want to see him anymore. I asked him how much money he had, and what he did to make more, and all he said was, 'when the old man dies I'll have so much', and 'when the old man dies I'll buy this and that', but he didn't actually 'do' anything himself. I told him that he was just lazy, and he was angry about that. We had a big argument, and that was that. Thank God I won't hear from him anymore."

"And what about Anton? Was the separation too much for his poetic soul?"

"He can keep his poetic soul. I tested him, Father. I told him we would be moving because of money problems, and immediately he became a lot cooler and found excuse after excuse when I invited him. When I then told him that our problem was a large inheritance he suddenly was all friendly again. He claimed he had been struggling with a poem dedicated to me. Well, I told him he would have to find someone else to dedicate it to. I was no longer interested in him or his poems. I didn't need Yuliya to tell me he was a lying cad."

"I see." Martin said. "I won't need to invite them then."

"Certainly not!" Irina said decidedly.

"Not even if the world stopped turning. I want a man who really loves me," Annushka sighed.

Martin smiled and winked at his wife. Anna smiled back at him and squeezed his hand. They didn't need words to convey to each other how happy they were that the girls had seen the truth. Even romantic Annushka had not been taken in.

ooOOoo

It took them several days of uneventful travel before they reached Ellinford, the town closest to Altena. The three girls would stay with Mr Hodgson, the lawyer, and his wife while Martin and Anna supervised the final stages of the move.

Mr and Mrs Hodgson took the girls on a sightseeing tour of Ellinford. They went shopping in the busy shopping district, and had tea in the tearoom of the best hotel. When Yuliya heard the library was just around the corner from the hotel she had to go and have a look. To her relief it was as large as the one in the city. Unfortunately she was not allowed to stay too long. Irina and Annushka took her between them and guided her out of the building.

"She would stay there all day if we let her," Irina remarked.

On the second evening they went to the theatre. Mr Hodgson's box received as much attention as the play. The girls too divided their attention between the stage and the audience. Even Yuliya found her eyes straying when she heard her sisters' whispers.

"Look, second box from right."

"Don't they look just marvellous?"

"Careful they're looking this way."

Such conversations were invariably followed by muffled giggles.

Towards the end of the play not one of the girls was looking at the play, not even Yuliya. To their dismay Mr Hodgson decided to leave early. They told their host they would have liked to make the acquaintance of some of the young people in town, but Mr Hodgson felt it was up to their father to decide who they could be introduced to.

When Martin and Anna arrived to take their daughters home, they were greeted by three enthusiastic girls. Martin already knew the town but Anna had to be shown where everything was: the theatre, the shops, even the library though they didn't let Yuliya go in this time.

On their way home in the carriage Martin told his family that Mr Hodgson had invited them to a party where they would be introduced to some of the families in town. Irina and Annushka were shrieking with joy, asking Martin if there would be many young people - "especially eligible young men," Irina said – and how soon the party would be. Ashton-Upon-Usk seemed already forgotten, a distant memory.

Their new home impressed the girls as well. Even though they had been told it would be larger than the one they had lived in so far, they hadn't quite realised that they were moving to a sizeable manor house. The first few days in Altena they spent arranging their rooms and their belongings to suit them best.

The party at Ellinford was a great success. The girls had been introduced to all the young people Mr Hodgson knew and could vouch for. All three girls danced with all the young men present, even Yuliya. The girls were interested in the three sisters and soon they became the centre of a group of talking and laughing young people. Annushka found some 'new best friends' and even Yuliya was more outgoing than normal.

After the party Annushka wrote the promised letter to her friends in Ashton. She had so much to tell that she wrote page after page of glowing praise for her new home. Irina wrote a quick note to say she was enjoying the bigger house with the large bedroom. She even hinted at the extreme suitability of a few of the young men she had met. Yuliya didn't write letters. She just added her own wishes to the bottom of her sisters' letters if she thought the recipient might care for them.

Ellinford had been a success, and soon Altena too found favour in the girls' eyes. They liked their new home very much, and with Anna they went on long walks to the farm and the village and even in the swamp. It seemed that Yuliya could read the marshes as well as people's minds. She just knew where it was safe to go and which beautiful green patches to avoid.

ooOOoo


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Thank you to AliceMina and Guest(Nice) for the reviews. Thanks to new follower SusyQ and big thanks to LunaPadma for adding the story to her favourites.  
**

* * *

**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 6**

Time flies when you have a good book to read and Michael had thousands upon thousands of them. With so many books even hundred years are no more than a sigh. Zinaïda came and was pleased with what she saw.

"Do you realise you're not slimy anymore?" she asked.

"Really? I haven't noticed."

"Didn't you see it in the mirror then? You even have a better colour. Not so blotchy."

"I haven't looked at a mirror in ages. I've been stuck with my nose in a book most times. Besides, I don't really relish seeing this face in a mirror."

A little smile flitted across Michael's face.

"You can't really be vain, looking like this."

"You'll never know how happy it makes me to hear you say that," said Zinaïda.

Together Zinaïda and Michael went to the surface. Michael noticed immediately that the South farm had gone and that in its place now stood a large house. Some splashes of colour told him it was probably surrounded by a garden.

"It's an improvement," he said. "The farm had started to look a bit sad. It's not a farm anymore, is it? Who lives there now?"

"I don't know," said Zinaïda. "Something for you to find out."

"I'll introduce myself as their neighbour if they ever come into the swamp. Talk of which: is it me or does it look and smell differently, not so awful?"

"Oh, it's definitely you. The swamp has changed just like you have changed. I told you, you are connected to it."

"Do you think a girl could like this improved swamp?"

"The right girl might."

"Hmm, I don't know if I could trust the mental state of a girl who likes a swamp."

"You'll have to find out for yourself."

"If I get a chance to meet a girl. This is the last opportunity, isn't it? After this year it's the swamp for eternity, whether I find a girl or not. That is the curse, isn't it?"

"It is, and because of that I can give you something that may help you to find a girl. You can tell the girl that she can make a wish if she spends some time with you, and I'll make sure it comes true. You can even give the girl more than one wish if she agrees to stay longer. Perhaps this way some girl may get to know you and agree to remain."

"What do you suggest, Zinaïda? That I place and advert in the local paper that says 'Stay with The Beast and Have a Wish Come True'?" he scoffed. "I don't think so. I'm not bribing any girl to spend time with me, but if one does, I'll let her have a wish afterward. If that is acceptable."

"Whichever way you want to do it. It is up to you. Good luck, Michael. I sincerely hope you will find the right girl this time. I believe you deserve it now."

Zinaïda was gone. Michael took a last look at the new house and went back into the swamp towards the north side, where the village was. After all, that's where he had met the girls the previous time.

ooOOoo

On the day that Michael came to the surface Anna and the girls had walked across to their nearest neighbours at North Farm. During the normal chitchat they happened to mention that they had walked part of the way through the swamp, as it was a shorter route. The farmer and his wife were surprised.

"The swamp is not a safe place," they said. "A thing, a creature lives there and it wants girls. The last time it was seen by several girls and not one man ever saw it."

"Why would it want a girl? What can a creature do with a girl? Surely those girls just told stories because they'd stayed out too late," said a disbelieving Irina.

"Nobody knows. Greatgran knew at least one of the girls that had seen the creature. She was a friend of Greatgran's mother."

They looked at the old lady in the rocking chair near the open hearth.

"They came through the swamp, Greatgran!" the farmer's wife shouted. "You know, where the creature is!"

"Yes, yes," Greatgran croaked, nodding her head. "Aunty Sarah saw it … The creature came up to her and she ran and screamed ... Yes, that's what she said, she screamed and ran ... Filthy, it was filthy … That's what she said … Dripping with slime, she said ... yes, yes … don't go in the swamp, she said … had nightmares all her life."

"Terrifying for Aunt Sarah, I'm sure," said Anna "How long ago was this? Surely that creature must be dead by now."

Anna had seen Annushka shaking with fear and wanted to make it clear to her that there was nothing to be afraid of. It was all a story from a very old woman. The answer she got was not the kind to reassure poor Annushka.

"It must have been about a hundred years ago," said the farmer's wife. "It is said though, and written down in the history of the village, that the same thing happened about hundred years before that. It was the daughter of the South Farm who saw the creature, so the story goes. It's all written down in a book, in the village hall."

Anna decided that they couldn't stay too long. The quicker they left, the less time for Annushka to think about what she'd just been told.

They decided to go back the way they had come, it was a shorter road and clearly also a safe road. They were halfway down the path through the swamp when they suddenly heard a big splash. Yuliya just managed to grab hold of her youngest sister before she could run away in fear. She looked in the direction from where the noise had come. What she felt didn't frighten but rather reassured her.

"No need to be afraid, Annushka. There is nothing out there that wants to harm us. Come, we'll walk arm in arm and we'll soon be out of the swamp and home."

Yuliya felt Annushka was shaking with fear. Followed by Anna and Irina they walked due west. Yuliya wanted to be out of the swamp quickly even if it meant taking a longer route home, so she cut across to the main road that skirted the swamp. Annushka calmed down as soon as they had left the swamp. They continued on the road where it turned south and reached the private lane to their home without hearing another sound.

Of course it was Michael who had made the noise. He had been out all day, never seeing a living soul and then there were four women walking quite deep in the swamp, striding confidently as if they were in the village main street instead of on a path through a swamp. He was so surprised that he lost his footing and stepped into a puddle with the loudest splash imaginable. He noticed the one in front looking across the swamp, looking in his direction, as if she saw him. When they walked away Michael tried to follow, to see where they were going to. Luckily two of them started to talk. Following the sound of chatting voices he knew they had turned south.

While trying to follow them, Michael nearly bumped into the only tree in the swamp. Before the curse it had been an enormously wide and tall oak tree that had grown in the park close to the surrounding wall. Now it looked sickly and didn't have the lush canopy of old, but it was still sturdy and tall. Michael climbed up the tree as high as he could. From this vantage point he spotted the girls in the grounds of the new manor. He realized he had seen, if not actually met, the new neighbours.

The next day the merchant was going into Ellinford. Anna, Irina and Annushka would accompany him because the girls needed some new clothing. Yuliya asked to be excused and was allowed to stay home. When she said she wanted to do some reading her two sisters groaned.

"Good gracious, you're always with your nose in books. Soon you'll look like a frump if you don't get any new clothes," said Irina.

"You might miss out on meeting the man of your life, if you don't go out," Annushka sighed.

"One: I don't need any new clothes and two: I go out enough for that man to meet me. Today I just feel like doing something else. Enjoy your day out."

Yuliya finally managed to convince her family that she wanted to stay at home and, yes, she would be all right and she would be careful. Then a last wave and they were gone.

As soon as the coach was out of sight Yuliya went to the stables and ordered her horse to be saddled. Meanwhile she changed into her riding dress. Her horse was waiting when she came down. She wasted no time and soon was on her way to the village. The story of the creature had intrigued her and what she had felt while looking out over the swamp had only increased her eagerness to know more.

Although she soon located the village hall – not difficult in such a small village – it took a lot more time before she was allowed to see the book with the history of the creature. Then they had to find it. Nobody had wanted to look in it for nearly hundred years and not one of the clerks was sure where it had been put. Eventually it was located at the back of a cupboard and Yuliya could start reading.

At first she thought it was the wrong book. The title said 'The Disappearance of Altena Castle'. To her surprise she read that a castle once stood where now there was only swampland. According to the book one night the castle and the park around it had disappeared and in its stead had been a terrible putrid swamp with foul fumes polluting the air around it. It hardly sounded like the same place.

The first sighting of the creature was about hundred years after the castle had vanished. Hunters had gone out to find and kill it but without success. Only one girl has seen it. She said she'd run away and fallen into a mud pool, but couldn't remember how she got out. Neither did she know where she had found the flowers she was carrying. Nobody believed her when she said the creature must have saved her and given her the flowers. Most people believed she had a secret boyfriend.

Hundred years later – _about hundred years ago_, thought Yuliya – the swamp-beast had appeared again. The stories confirmed what the farmer's wife had said; quite a few girls claimed to have seen the creature as if it had actively sought to meet them. The stories they told about their meeting surprised Yuliya. Most of them mentioned a huge creature with sharp fangs and claws. In some stories the girl said she'd been dragged to a lair deep in the swamp where there had been bones and sculls of earlier victims. Apparently these girls had all miraculously escaped. Other claimed they had managed to outrun the creature that towered above them. They had heard the sound of its feet pounding the ground as it followed them growling and snarling but it never came close enough.

Yuliya thought of the feeling she had had when looking over the swamp after they had heard the splash. Somebody had been out there, a sentient being and not a thing. More importantly, she hadn't felt any threat from this being. That made Yuliya very suspicious of those stories. The few tales that seemed less sensational all spoke of a creature that had given flowers to the girls. All these stories were different but agreed on the looks of the swamp thing. It was the size of a tallish man, it was slimy and it stank.

Yuliya now knew as much about the creature as anybody could. She was sure it was this creature that she had felt out in the swamp. The following day she planned to go out and look for whatever, or more likely whoever was out there. Unfortunately Anna had told her husband what she had heard at the North Farm and about the strange sound in the swamp. That evening the merchant forbade his daughters to go anywhere near the swamp. He made them solemnly swear to keep away from it, knowing they would keep that promise. Reluctantly Yuliya complied with her father's request.

ooOOoo

Seeing the girls walk across his swamp had surprised Michael, but it had also given him hope. Unfortunately he hadn't spotted them near his swamp anymore after that one time. Neither had he glimpsed any other girl. He didn't panic as yet. After all he still had more than eleven months to go.

One thing Michael could do was look at the girls from the top of the old tree. He also found that as a beast he had superior hearing, which meant he could hear everything they said when they were outside in their garden. His favourite moment however was when they went inside and switched on the light. He could then see them through the window sitting together, a loving family. Only when the curtains were closed did he return to his home under the swamp.

Two weeks after Michael had discovered the advantage of having a tall tree in his swamp, he saw the four women running and waving as a man on horseback left the grounds of their home.

He heard the oldest one call out, "Goodbye Martin, come back safe my love."

The other three waved and cried out, "Goodbye Father."

Two of them, the prettiest, shouted, "Don't forget our presents."

Michael now knew that one of the four was married to the man on horseback and the others were obviously his daughters. If they would only come near his swamp, or if perhaps he could have gone to their garden, he might have talked to them, but they didn't come and he could not get to them.

ooOOoo

What Michael had seen was Martin's leave-taking. He had to go to Ashton-Upon-Usk to finalise some business. Having obtained his daughters' word to keep away from the swamp, he could go with an easy mind.

The day Martin was expected back home was a foggy day. His wife and daughters had been waiting for him all day, walking to the end of the drive and back, but there had been neither sight nor sound of anybody coming near. Because of the cloudy sky, dusk had arrived earlier than expected and the light fog had become quite dense. The whole house seemed enveloped in grey cotton. Irina and Annushka still expected their father to come home like he had promised and stood at the window trying to look out but only seeing the reflection of their faces and the bright room behind them. There Anna and Yuliya sat near the fire, the one sewing while the other was reading.

"Irina, Annushka, come here and sit with us. Father is not going to come anymore tonight, not in this weather."

"But he said he would be home today, Yuliya. He'll be here soon, won't he," said Annushka.

"Leave the curtain open, just in case," advised Anna. "Should he come then he'll see the brightness of our light but I think Yuliya is right. Your father will have stopped somewhere for the night. Yuliya can read from her book; that will help pass the time."

Reluctantly Irina and Annushka left the window. They sat together, Yuliya reading to them while the others were working on their embroidery. It was a beautiful sight seeing them sitting together near the fire. Michael, perched high up his tree, had been looking at them all day long while they went back and forth from the house to the end of the drive. He thought that the youngest girl was so beautiful, the middle girl very regal, and the oldest too serious. The mother seemed very young to have such grownup daughters but she did look motherly to Michael. When they withdrew to the parlour he was still observing them, even though the increasing fog had reduced them to shadows. He would have continued looking at them as long as they remained in the cosy room with the bright light, but suddenly an anguished cry rang across the swamp.

Michael didn't hesitate a second. Somebody was in trouble, somebody who had tried to cross the swamp perhaps, or had inadvertently left the road. He ran toward the source of the sound. The cry for help was now mingled with the frightened whinny of a horse. Closing in on the eastern end of the swamp he saw a horse moving backwards on the narrow path between two treacherous marshy patches. It was trying to stay on its feet but kept sliding away on the mud. The reins were held by a man who was up to his neck in the quicksand. Just before Michael reached him he let go of the reins and went under. Michael jumped into the liquid mud and hauled the traveller up by the hair, dragging him to safety. As soon as he was on solid ground the man drew a deep breath, mumbled a thank you and lost consciousness. Michael wiped the mud off the man's face and then turned to the horse that stood trembling on the narrow path. The animal was exhausted and he took advantage of this to guide it to the edge of the swamp and safety. Michael could go no further and hoped the horse would find the road home.

The traveller was still unconscious so Michael took him to his castle under the swamp. There a room was made ready for the patient. He also found water to wash the man, fresh clothes and anything else he might want to make his guest comfortable. A mug with a steaming hot liquid was standing on a bedside table. Everything was without a doubt provided by the fairy, Zinaïda.

It was not until his patient was clean and lying comfortably in the bed that Michael saw who he had saved: Martin, merchant and father of three daughters. He helped the man drink some of the hot liquid and waited until he was asleep.

Michael thought of the possibilities the rescue of this man might afford him. Was this Zinaïda's way to help him get a mate? Would a daughter of the merchant be willing to share his life? He could only wait.

The next morning Martin woke up refreshed. His memory of the previous evening were very vague but he realised something must have happened because he didn't recognise his surroundings.

Martin's pondering was interrupted by a knock at the door and a voice that said, "Can I come in, Sir?"

"Yes, do," Martin answered.

Michael entered the room but remained in the shadows near the door.

"I hope you slept well."

"Yes, I did. What actually happened yesterday?"

Michael told him.

"You strayed into the swamp. I got you out just in time. Your horse must have gone home by now," he added. "It was no longer where I left it.

"Perhaps the dumb animal has wandered back into the swamp. Pity, it was a good horse."

"I don't think so. I would have known if it had strayed into my swamp again."

"Your swamp?"

Martin wondered who would talk of the swamp as his … unless … Was he a prisoner of the creature his wife had told him about? Even though he'd made his daughters promise not to go near the swamp, he hadn't really believed something lived there. Surely that was just an old wives' tale. Swamps didn't have creatures in them. He had most likely been saved by some hunter who lived on the edge of the swamp. His surroundings were rather sumptuous for a simple hunter though. And why had his host not come further into the room. He just stayed there, in the shadows.

"You don't have to stay near the door, you know. You can come in."

"You might not want me to."

"Are you … My wife said …"

How do you ask a man if he is some sort of monster?

"If you would like to know if I am the creature that is reputed to live in the swamp, then, yes, I am. You are a guest in my home. I had to bring you here, you'd gone under."

"Do you mean I died?"

"Quite the opposite. I brought you here to save you. As soon as you're strong enough I'll take you to the surface."

"You rescued me and you saved my life? How can I ever thank you?"

"By telling your daughters to spend a month with me here."

Michael said it as quickly as he could, before he changed his mind. It was said now. The father could say yes or no.

"Is there some other way I can thank you. Sending my daughters here is asking a lot."

"I don't need anything, just some company. I promise I won't hurt them."

"Come into the light. Show yourself to me. I can't trust you until I see you."

Michael came into the room. He saw the eyes of the man in the bed open wide in horror. Had he lost his chance now?

Martin looked at the thing that had entered. It was shaped like a man with arms and legs. Its head at least was not the head of an animal. But there all resemblance to a human ended. The creature had grey-green skin, scaly as well; its feet and hands were webbed; a few tresses of grey hair either side of pointy ears framed the face. Could he ask his daughters to spend even a minute with this creature? Could he ask them to look upon a face that resembled a warty toad more than anything?

"You said you wouldn't hurt my girls but how do I know you'll keep your promise?"

"Because if I break that promise I'll be punished worse than you can imagine."

"Still, what you ask is strange. It may damage their reputation. Spending a month with a man, even if he is a monster, might give people the idea they're a bit … well … easy."

The knowledge Michael had acquired by observing the girls proved valuable now.

"Nobody needs to know. You don't have many visitors. And should someone ask, you could tell them the girl has gone to visit a friend in your old home town. It would be natural, wouldn't it?"

Michael's heart beat faster and faster. He knew this might be his last chance to find a companion. The silence while the father was pondering his answer seemed endless. Finally he spoke but only to ask another question.

"Who's the person who will punish you if you hurt my girls in any way?"

Through gritted teeth Michael said, "Zinaïda, a fairy."

_All is lost now_, he thought. _Who still believes in fairies?_

"Zinaïda, a fairy. Right ... I'll send my oldest daughter …"

'No!" Michael interrupted. "You'll send your youngest first. And don't think I won't recognize her. I know everyone in your family."

Martin sighed, "Good, I'll send Annushka to you."

The creature's smile sent a shiver through Martin.

ooOOoo


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Thanks to xAkarix for the review. And thanks to AndieFed and Tears In Silence for following and favouriting.  
**

* * *

**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 7**

Two days later the merchant had completely recovered and wanted to go home. Michael took him to the front door. Even though Michael had straightened the furniture, the entrance hall still looked a bit shabby and filthy to Martin.

"It's best if you close your eyes while I take you to the surface," Michael said. "It's not to hide anything. It's just not a pleasant journey."

Martin decided to trust his host and closed his eyes. He had a distinct feeling in his stomach that he was rushing upward rather speedily. Barely two heartbeats later the mad ascent came to a sudden stop.

"We're here. You can open your eyes," he heard the creature say.

He did. There in the distance was his house. He wanted to run towards it but the creature stopped him.

"Come, this way. You don't want to step in the quicksand again."

Martin followed Michael who led him in a roundabout way near the road.

"I can't take you further. Three steps in a straight line will take you to the road. I'll be here tomorrow morning waiting for your youngest daughter, Annushka."

Martin took three steps onto the road and started running towards his house. He looked around just once but the creature was gone. Michael was already sitting in the tree from which he could see the house. He saw Martin arriving at the door and starting to knock and pull the bell. The four women sitting in the parlour jumped up, startled by the noise. The oldest of the girls was the first to react and ran towards the door, quickly followed by the mother. For a moment Michael lost sight of things when Martin walked in but when the family returned to the parlour, he saw everything. Martin took his two younger daughters in his arms. They made him sit down in the comfortable chair. Annushka got his slippers and then sat on his lap; Irina got his pipe and sat on the ground at his feet. His wife, who had gone out, came back with a hot drink and Yuliya went to close the curtains.

Michael cried out "Don't!" then thought, _Idiot, she can't hear you_.

To his surprise the girl hesitated, looking straight at him it seemed, though that was impossible, it was too dark already. Somebody in the room must have spoken because she turned towards the speaker. Then, with a last look at where Michael was sitting in the tree, she closed the curtains and Michael returned to his castle under the swamp.

ooOOoo

When Martin's horse came home alone, Anna, Annushka and Irina panicked. The first thing Yuliya did was look across the swamp until she found something that was unusual, different. For a long time she looked at one point, then she closed her eyes. With her mind she carefully scanned the place she'd been looking at. The mud of the swamp hindered her, slowed her down, but finally she found what she had been looking for.

"He's all right," she said. 'Father is all right."

"How would you know?" said Irina. "Anything could have happened to him. Perhaps he's lying in the road with a broken neck."

This made Annushka cry even harder than before.

"Poor Father, we have to look for him."

"Don't be absurd, Annushka. The men can go and look for him."

"Irina, wait a moment," said Anna. Then she turned to Yuliya. "How do you know your father is all right?"

"I feel him," Yuliya answered. "I taught myself to find Father when he travelled. First I could feel where he was and later whether he'd been successful or not. Now I know he's alive and comfortable. Somebody is taking care of him. It would be silly to send people out to find him."

"You're probably right. It is too dangerous in this weather. They might get lost in the swamp … Are you really sure your father is fine?"

"Yes, Anna, I'm really sure," Yuliya replied.

The next day the fog had cleared and Anna sent the servants out to see if they found any trace of her husband. They found Martin's horse that had made its way to the stables, and was standing in its box. Martin, however, could not be found.

She asked Yuliya again, "Are you sure your father is all right?"

Yuliya stopped her work, closed her eyes and searched the area where she'd felt her father the day before.

"Yes," she answered after a while. "He's getting over yesterday's ordeal. I don't think he'll be away for very long."

Two days later they sat together in the parlour. Anna and the two younger girls were working on some embroidery while Yuliya was reading. She hadn't turned a page in half an hour though, her thoughts more concentrated on what was happening in the swamp.

Anna looked up. "Yuliya, could you read to us? It doesn't matter what. I can't keep my mind from worrying."

Yuliya looked up at her stepmother and sisters. She felt their worry. She had not been able to convince them that their husband and father was in no danger and would soon be back. Yuliya started reading while Anna and the girls picked up their work again. All was silent except for the gentle voice reading from the book. Suddenly the silence was shattered by loud banging on the door and ringing of the bell. The women started at the noise. Yuliya jumped up, dropped her book and ran towards the front door, quickly followed by Anna. The door was soon opened and Yuliya dragged her father inside and embraced him.

"You're home, you're home, I knew you would be all right," she cried.

Anna had arrived and fell in her husband's arms while Yuliya closed the door. Together they went into the parlour where the younger girls were waiting. Martin embraced his two younger daughters who made him sit down in the comfortable chair. Annushka got her father's slippers.

"We've missed you so, Father," she said, while nestling in his lap.

Irina handed him his pipe, sat at his feet and asked him where he had been. Then Anna came back in and handed her husband a warming drink.

"Here," she said, "You must be cold, being out in this weather."

Now that her father was home, Yuliya went to draw the curtains. Just as she was about to close them she felt something, like a stabbing pain in her head, although it wasn't quite a pain; more as if someone had shouted loudly in her ear, head-splittingly loud. She looked out of the window and had the same sensation as on the day Annushka had been scared by the noisy splash in the swamp. Something was out there but not something with bad intentions. Then she heard her father.

"Yuliya, close the curtains and come here. I must tell you something, and you all need to hear it."

Yuliya turned towards the room. "I'm coming, Father," she said.

One last time she looked out to where she knew the swamp creature would be, then she closed the curtains. She sat down next to her sister Irina on a cushion on the ground, waiting for what her father had to say. She saw the insecurity radiating from him so didn't expect him to say anything pleasant. She was still shocked by what he did have to say.

Martin told his wife and daughters how he had become lost in the swamp and that the monster of the swamp had saved him and cared for him.

"I fear I lost my horse although the creature said it hadn't wandered back into the swamp."

"It didn't," they all cried out together.

"It arrived at the stable the day after you were expected back," said Anna. "That's when we thought something bad had happened to you, but Yuliya kept saying it hadn't."

Martin looked at his oldest daughter. He wasn't surprised at what his wife had told him. His Yuliya had always been strange. _Good thing they don't burn witches anymore_, he thought.

"I was well taken care off," Martin said, "but my host did require payment for his care and for saving my life. I promised him what he asked for."

He fell silent, not knowing how to tell them and they all wondered what the creature could want in return for saving Martin. Yuliya studied her father and suddenly knew.

"Did he specify which one of us he wants, Father?" she asked her voice shaking from the shock of her discovery.

"Oh please, do you always have to be so melodramatic, Yuliya? What could a swamp monster want with one of us?" Irina asked.

Before Yuliya could answer this, her father continued.

"He's lonely and would like a companion. He's asked me to send all three of you for a month, one after the other, to see if perhaps one of you would be his companion. He won't force you into anything though, he promised and I believe him."

"You didn't say 'yes' to this, did you Martin?" asked Anna.

"He saved my life. Surely just one month of the life of my daughters is not that much of a payment for that?"

"No Father, it isn't. Where do I have to go and when?" said Yuliya.

"Well," Martin scratched his head. "He actually doesn't want you first, but Annushka. I don't know why."

_I do_, thought Yuliya. _Annushka is the prettiest and Irina is nearly as pretty. I'm just their strange, plain sister. The creature wants a permanent companion, a pretty one as well._

"That's fine," she said. "I thought it would be like usual, age before beauty."

"Me? It wants me?" Annushka realised what she would have to do and panicked. "No! I can't go. I can't."

Anna tried to quieten Annushka. "Let's go to bed. Tomorrow in the light it will all look different."

ooOOoo

Of course it didn't look different for poor Annushka when she was walking to the meeting point with her father. She was whimpering all the way. When she saw the creature her sky-blue eyes opened wide in horror and she started to cry.

"Here's my youngest daughter, Annushka. You promise you won't hurt her," Martin said.

"I promise," Michael answered, and it sounded as solemn as an oath.

Reluctantly Martin left his crying daughter with Michael. How he wished he hadn't agreed to the creature's terms.

Despite her tears Michael still thought Annushka looked beautiful. He wanted to caress her honey blond curls, but he was afraid of upsetting the girl even more. Gently he guided her to the flagstone that would take them down into his home. He didn't even have to tell her to close her eyes.

As soon as they had arrived in the castle Michael took Annushka to the room he had prepared for her. Unfortunately Annushka just crawled in a corner and kept crying and crying nonstop.

Michael left her until the morning. Worried when there was no reaction to his knocking he opened the door. Annushka was asleep curled up on top of the bed, her face still wet with tears.

The door creaked and Annushka woke up. As soon as she saw Michael, she scooted off the bed, back to the corner, and started to whimper and cry in fear again.

The first week hadn't even ended when Michael thought enough was enough, for him and the girl.

"You don't have to stay any longer, Miss. I'm taking you back home. Please, don't cry anymore," he said.

The gentleness of the creature's voice stopped Annushka's crying. She followed Michael and he took her back to the surface.

There he asked her, "You are sure you don't want to complete the month?"

The fear that was suddenly apparent in her eyes told him all he wanted to know.

"Don't worry, Miss; you don't have to. Thank you for coming anyway. As a farewell present you can make a wish, any wish, and it will come true. So what do you want more than anything in the world?"

Annushka's fear was all forgotten.

"I can have a wish? Really?" she asked.

When Michael nodded she didn't hesitate a moment.

"I want somebody who really, really loves me. All romantic and true. That's what I want more than anything."

"You will get a boyfriend who will truly love you, with all his heart," Michael said. "Are you sure you don't want anything else?"

Annushka beamed. "No, that is all I want," she said.

Michael showed her how to leave the swamp after telling her he expected her middle sister the next day. He gave her a note as well, rightly thinking she was so high in the clouds she wouldn't remember his question.

Annushka ran home, thinking only that she was free and she had made a wish. Everyone was of course surprised to see her so soon. They asked her what had happened.

"He let me go," she said, "and I wished for somebody to really truly fall in love with me."

"Did he say anything?" Martin asked. "Did he say anything about Irina? Does she still have to go?"

"I don't know," answered Annushka. "I can't remember if he said anything."

Anna saw the note in the girl's hand.

"What have you got there, Annushka?" she asked.

Irina snatched the note out of her sister's hand and read it.

"The cry-baby is let off," she said. "I'm to go tomorrow. Well, I won't behave like an idiot."

ooOOoo

The next morning Martin took his middle daughter to the arranged meeting point.

"Irina, I know you don't like this, but remember that this man saved me. We owe him a debt of gratitude."

"It's not a man but a swamp beast and I'll treat it as such," Irina said. "All the rest is just sentimental nonsense."

"Don't antagonise him, Irina. You can be harsh sometimes. We can't all be as perfect as you," her father remarked sarcastically.

When they arrived at the meeting point Michael was waiting.

"This is my second daughter, Irina," Martin said. "She's come to fulfil the second part of my promise." He hesitated for a moment, and then added, "Thank you for sending Annushka home early."

Michael didn't answer. He was studying Irina. He noticed that the girl was as pretty as her youngest sister, a bit taller perhaps and slimmer. She didn't have the rich honey hair and the summer sky eyes of Annushka either. This girl with paler hair and eyes was the winter to her sister's summer. Even better: Irina wasn't crying. Michael imagined conversations they would have, human contact, companionship. Full of expectation he took Irina to the spot from where they could enter his castle. He asked Irina to stand on the stone. When he went to stand next to her she didn't like it.

"Do you have to stand this close?" she asked.

"I'm afraid so. I advise you to close your eyes for the descent, Miss. It's not a pretty sight."

"I'm going down into a swamp. What could it be but unpleasant?"

At Michael's command they sunk down into the swamp. As soon as they had arrived he showed Irina to her room.

"Not much of a castle anymore, is it?" was her first comment. "Now get out of my room, I want to sleep."

Michael left, thinking her attitude was caused by the shock of seeing him and the knowledge she wouldn't see her family for a whole month. He understood she wanted a bit of privacy. When it was time for lunch he knocked at her door.

"Miss, the table is set for lunch. I'll escort you to the dining room."

Irina came out of the room, followed Michael to the dining room, filled a plate with food, grabbed a drink and took it back to her room. She wasn't going to sit at a table with a beast. The same thing happened for the evening meal. Irina walked in, grabbed some food and a drink and breezed out again to her room.

The next day Michael saw Irina exactly three times. In the morning Irina brought the plates, cutlery and glasses she had used the previous day and dumped them on the table before grabbing her breakfast. For lunch she stayed just long enough to make herself a kind of picnic which she took back upstairs.

In the evening, while she was filling a plate, Michael said, "Wouldn't you like to spend some time away from your room, Miss? I don't eat dinner, so there's no chance my habits could disgust you."

"I prefer to eat in my room," was Irina's short answer.

"What about spending some time with me afterward? We could have a talk. I'll be in the parlour."

The look she gave him was cold enough to give him frostbite.

"There is nothing I want to talk about with an animal. I'm here for a month to pay my father's debt. I'm not interested in making friends with a beast. I would appreciate if you didn't talk to me in future. If you do, I will not respond."

Day after day passed in the same way. When Michael knocked at the door Irina came out and followed him without a word to the dining room, then carried her food back to her room. After three days Michael gave up on her. He asked the invisible powers that took care of the food to put a tray on the dining table to make it easier for Irina to carry her food upstairs. When she noticed the tray she used it but never thanked Michael for his thoughtfulness. She didn't even realise it had been his doing. To her he was nothing but a beast, an animal, a monster that held her prisoner.

To Michael the month seemed endless. Occasionally he thought of letting Irina go just like he had done with Annushka, but each time he changed his mind again.

_Perhaps she will get used to seeing me,_ he thought. _Perhaps it's no more than that. Perhaps she'll agree to stay longer once she knows I won't hurt her._

But eventually the last day of the month had arrived.

Michael knocked at her door and said, "Miss, it is time for you to go home. The month is over."

In a flash the door was opened.

"Good, let's go then. I've had more than enough of sitting cooped up in a room at the bottom of a filthy swamp. Which way is out?"

Michael preceded Irina to the front door, stepped into the cubicle and invited her in, something she did with obvious reluctance. He didn't warn her to close her eyes, but took Irina straight to the surface.

Before showing her the way home he said, "I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your stay in Altena Castle. Thank you for coming anyway. As a farewell present you can make a wish, any wish, and it will come true. So what do you want more than anything in the world?"

Irina had been expecting this, so she had her answer ready.

"I want a husband who is rich, very rich; richer by far than Father. A husband so rich that he can fulfil my every wish, however much it costs; that's what I want."

"You will get a husband who has enough money even for you. Twice that much even," Michael promised. "Are you sure you don't want anything else?"

"No, that is all I want," Irina answered.

Michael pointed her in the right direction after telling her he expected her oldest sister the next day. He didn't hold out much hope that she could be the longed for companion.

Irina ran home, cheering all the way, "I've done it, I'm free."

When she arrived home she cried out, "The creature has promised me a decent husband, one with lots of money." Then she added for Yuliya, "It's expecting you tomorrow."

ooOOoo


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Thank you to ****coolcat 12345 for the ****review. Thanks to ****LocoRoco143**** for following. Thank you ****savethemadscientist for the review and for following. And for ****following and making the story a favourite thank you to AoiHoshi26.**

* * *

**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 8**

The next day Martin took his oldest daughter Yuliya to the meeting-point. Again Michael was waiting for his new companion to arrive. He already knew that she was definitely not as beautiful as her sisters, and wondered what she would be like. When she looked straight at him, he felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny of her dark eyes; as if she was looking right into the deepest recesses of his mind.

"This is my oldest daughter," Martin said. "She's the last daughter to spend a month with you. At the end of this month my debt to you is paid. Is that correct?"

"It is, and I thank you for your trust in me, Sir," Michael said. Then he addressed Yuliya, "This way, Miss."

Yuliya followed Michael into the swamp. They stopped near the flagstone.

"The stone will take us down. I need you to stand on it and shut your eyes, Miss."

Yuliya did as she was told, and Michael noticed she was not worried that he stood quite close to her. In no time they arrived at the front door of the underground castle.

Yuliya knew she would be taken to a castle, but hadn't realised how beautiful if was, or rather had once been. The doors opened to a circular hall. Three tall, narrow windows on either side of the door would have flooded the place with light. Three mirrors either side of the entrance to the rest of the place completed the circle. Both windows and mirrors were surrounded by intricate stucco work. Though it was totally surrounded by mud, there was still a strange kind of light in the castle. It reminded Yuliya of the day of the solar eclipse. Though only a very partial eclipse, it had affected the daylight. It had not resembled dawn or dusk, perhaps because it hadn't changed in intensity, and that had made it strange and spooky. It was that sort of light that illuminated the castle.

Just like her sisters Yuliya was shown to the bedroom. It would have been a pretty room if it hadn't been so grubby everywhere. Or nearly everywhere as Yuliya found. She noticed that the corner farthest away from the door was clean. The bed and a small table and chair standing in front of some drawn curtains were spotless. Yuliya opened the curtains that covered the entire wall and revealed two windows. They looked out on a wall of mud that had oozed through the window frames here and there judging by the stains of dried up dirt everywhere, even on the back of the curtains. Yuliya had expected it to stink but instead of the putrid smell of a swamp there was the rich earthy smell of springtime, lush and fertile.

Yuliya sat down on the chair and waited. Perhaps the creature would come back. Time ticked away slowly. Boredom was starting to set in when she suddenly heard a knock at the door and a voice said, "The table is set for lunch, Miss. I'll escort you to the dining room."

Yuliya opened the door and there was the creature. She followed it to the dining room, where one half of the large table was set for an extensive lunch. Just like in the bedroom only certain things were clean. The side of the table that had the food on, and the chair at that end were spotless. Michael held out the clean chair and invited her to sit. Yuliya thought it strange that all the food was standing on that side of the table. The creature went to the other end of the table and sat down. There wasn't even a plate in front of him.

"Aren't you going to eat, Sir?" Yuliya asked when she saw the strange arrangement.

"I eat separately, Miss. I hope you'll enjoy the food," Michael answered.

Irina had said the food was barely edible but Yuliya found that there was nothing wrong with it. Perhaps it was not quite as good as what she was used to, but it was certainly satisfactory.

After lunch Michael escorted her back to her room where she was left until dinnertime. Yuliya slept a bit, more out of boredom than tiredness, and then looked in the wardrobe, bedside tables and drawers. These were full of clothes that were not only clean, but new and in her size. Yuliya didn't know what to think of that. Was she supposed to change the dress she wore for one of the new dresses? Were they meant for her? For the time being she decided to leave them.

She opened the door in one of the walls and discovered a bathroom. This too was reasonably clean. When she had looked at everything she had nothing left to do except sit down. That's when Yuliya knew she could not do this for a whole month. She decided she would ask her host if she could at least clean her room.

At dinnertime Michael was back to escort her to the dining room. Again only one side of the table had food on it. Yuliya ate in silence. She looked at her host occasionally and saw he seemed deep in thought.

Unexpectedly he asked her, "Would you mind spending the evening with me, Miss?"

Yuliya looked up.

"That would be nice, Sir. The evening could be rather long and boring otherwise."

He just nodded and looked at her while she finished eating.

"There will be coffee in the parlour, Shall we go now?"

"Yes," she said and got up.

"This way, Miss."

She followed him into a parlour where an open fire was burning merrily. How this could be in a castle deep under a swamp she didn't know and she wasn't going to worry about it. She was at the bottom of a swamp with a creature that had invited her to have a cup of coffee with him. That was strange enough. So why not accept any other strangeness this place had to offer?

Near the fire stood two comfortable chairs and a low table with a coffeepot, sugar bowl and creamer, and one cup and saucer. Here too Yuliya noticed that just that little area was clean while the rest of the room looked grubby. She also noticed that the lights were on. That's when she realised they had come on everywhere in the castle. It was as if at sundown the strange daylight had disappeared and artificial light had been switched on everywhere. The castle had its own daytime and night-time.

Michael poured a cup of coffee for his guest.

"Cream and sugar, Miss," he asked.

"No, thank you," she answered.

She drank her coffee in silence, thinking about her strange host and the state of the underground castle. Why did this creature have a castle and not a hole in the ground? Where did it get the obviously once expensive furniture? Why would a swamp creature need furniture? Why did a creature that looked like some animal, a beast from the swamp, talk and act like a human, a gentleman even?

Yuliya had hoped that the creature would start speaking, but it sat in the other chair, staring in the fire and casting an occasional glance in her direction. With neither of them speaking, the evening was becoming as boring as the whole day had been.

Finally Yuliya asked, "Would you mind if I cleaned up my room, Sir? I can't just stay in it all day without doing something. Besides, I'm sorry to say, it is in dire need of some cleaning."

"If you can find what you need for the job, you can go right ahead. I don't want you to be bored for a whole month."

"Thank you."

Nothing more was said by either of them until Yuliya heard the creature say, "It's late. Time for bed I think. Would you allow me to take you to your room, Miss?"

Yuliya nodded and without touching her, Michael accompanied her to the door of her bedroom.

He bowed to her, said "Good night!" and was gone before she could answer.

ooOOoo

The following morning, after she'd had breakfast and the creature had escorted her back to her room, Yuliya went in search of something to clean her room with. She thought the kitchen would be the best place to start. The entrance was most likely one of a row of doors that were hidden by the elaborate staircase. After opening a few doors to storage rooms and what must have been the servants' dining room, Yuliya found the right door. It opened smoothly and noiselessly.

What she saw then frightened and repulsed her. The creature was tearing a grey-green growth from the walls and gorging itself on it. The tap was running with a thick liquid of the same colour. Occasionally the creature cupped its hands under the liquid and then drank it. The putrid smell that pervaded the kitchen was nearly unbearable.

Yuliya realised she must have made a noise when the creature turned towards her and snarled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to disturb you. I was just looking for something to clean my room with," she said as calmly as she could.

The eyes of the creature that were purely animal changed. They didn't become suddenly human, neither did they slowly change. To Yuliya it seemed as if there was a battle raging in the creature between the animal and an intelligent being. The eyes changed depending on what part of the creature had the upper hand.

Eventually the intelligence won and a voice that sounded embarrassed said, "I'm sorry you had to see this, but this is the only way I can eat this. Would you … Could I …. Please, don't come into the kitchen immediately after mealtimes. I would prefer if you didn't see me like that."

"Of course, Sir," Yuliya answered.

The creature opened the door to a cupboard.

"I think you'll find everything you need in here."

"Thank you," she said, grabbed brooms, cloths, a bucket and anything else she could think of, and headed back to her room as quickly as possible.

Yuliya started to clean the room immediately. She was only interrupted for lunch and stopped before dinner, thinking the creature might want her to spend the evening together again. That was exactly what happened and like the previous evening they sat together without speaking a word until it was time for bed.

The next day Yuliya finished cleaning her room and bathroom. It had taken longer than expected, but once finished the room looked even better than expected. The day had been very much like the previous days including having coffee in the parlour. Again the creature didn't talk.

_One thing's for sure,_ thought Yuliya. _I have to do something or go completely mad. The month has only started and I'm bored to death. I could clean this place, just to keep busy. Will he let me, though? I'm sure he doesn't mind the filth but I hardly dare touch anything._

It didn't take Yuliya long to decide she would ask. After all, she had nothing to lose.

"Sir," Yuliya hesitated, then went ahead and asked, "Would you mind if I did a bit more cleaning. The dining room for instance, or this place."

The creature looked up and stared at her. She started to think she wasn't going to get an answer.

"You don't need to ask me if you want to do something, Miss. If cleaning will keep you busy, fine, go right ahead."

Michael had had such high hopes after saving the merchant. Three girls, three possibilities, three chances of finding a companion. What a disappointment. The first one had been too scared to even look at him. The second one had not been scared, but had obviously found him revolting. This girl was not disgusted by him, but that was probably because she lacked the imagination for it. She never talked except to ask him if she could do some cleaning. She clearly lacked intelligence. He sighed.

"I think it's time for bed," he said even though it was at least an hour earlier than the previous evening.

He escorted the girl to her room and went to the library. He could finish his book. That way the evening would not be a total waste.

ooOOoo

Immediately after breakfast next morning Yuliya started on the dining room. Not that she was all that keen on cleaning, but she had to do something. Besides, you could actually see the result of all the hard work. And it was nicer to be in a clean place; that could not be denied. Just like in her bedroom she found that the furniture was in far better condition than expected. Once clean they looked like expensive antiques in pristine condition. The parlour too looked brighter once she had finished there. After those two rooms she had started on the hallway and had stumbled upon a surprise: a clean room. Actually it was more a walk-in cupboard full of clean linen, curtains, tablecloths; everything was there, all freshly washed. Yuliya didn't ask but changed the curtains in the rooms she had already cleaned, then put the old curtains in the scullery next to the kitchen. She would deal with them later. When she went back to add some more, the first load had disappeared.

That evening, when she was in the now clean parlour with the creature she decided to ask him.

"Something strange happened today, Sir," she started. "A pile of curtains that needed washing disappeared from the scullery where I had put them."

"That's the castle," Michael interrupted. "It must have presumed you wanted them cleaned. They'll turn up in the linen room in time."

"Oh!"

"Yes."

Yuliya wanted to talk some more but what could you talk about with a creature? What was it interested in? What did it do all day?

Michael had similar thoughts. He didn't know what to talk about to his guest. Cleaning? Washing? That was all she seemed interested in. He couldn't imagine spending more than a month with this girl, never mind a lifetime.

ooOOoo


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: My thanks to M. Diaz F for favouriting this story.**

* * *

**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 9**

The month had only a week to go. Yuliya hadn't started on the kitchen and servants' quarters or the upper levels with the bedrooms yet, but on the ground floor of the castle there were only two rooms left to do. Yuliya thought they must be big rooms as both had large double doors. The first room was next to the dining room, and was accessible from there as well as from the hall. The second room was next to the parlour where she sat with the creature every evening and had only the entrance to the hallway. She decided to tackle at least one of them in her last week.

First Yuliya wanted to check how much work would be involved. She opened the door of the room next to the parlour, thinking that it would be the smaller of the two. The light came on as she entered. Yuliya looked around. She could not believe her eyes. A library! The creature had a library! And what kind of library! Dotted about the place were comfortable chairs inviting her to curl up with a book. Next to each chair stood a small table. Some had one or more books on them, others had a lamp or an ornament. Every wall was covered in books, floor to ceiling; a ceiling that was a dome in coloured glass, two stories higher. The colours looked rather dull because of the mud on the other side, but even that couldn't hide the majestic splendour of the library. Slowly Yuliya closed the door, not thinking about cleaning anymore. In a dreamlike state she walked past the shelves, here and there reading a title, picking up a book, reading a page and putting it back. Then she saw the book she'd started reading at home. It was lying on a table next to a comfy chair. She settled in the chair, found the place she'd gotten to at home and continued reading, completely forgetting time and place.

At lunchtime Michael had gone to the dining room, expecting to find his guest there when she hadn't answered to his knocking at her bedroom door. He waited for her to appear but when she still wasn't there after an hour he went to her room again, thinking she might have arrived there in the meantime. He knocked at the door but there was no answer. He opened the door carefully but didn't see her on the bed and when he went inside he found she wasn't anywhere in the room.

He went looking in all the other rooms she had been cleaning, getting more and more panicky, fearing she might have attempted to return to the surface. Then he noticed the bucket and mop near the library door. He didn't really expect to find her there but to his immense relief and surprise the girl was sitting in his favourite chair, deeply engrossed in a book. He recognised it as well. It was one he'd been reading.

"You read?"

He had said it before he realised what he had said.

"Of course I do," she answered rather shortly.

Then it struck her; the immaculate library, the bookmark in the book, the light that came on as she entered.

"You read as well?" she asked in amazement.

"It's my favourite pastime," Michael said.

"Mine too. I was reading this at home but I forgot to bring it."

"You can read my copy. I finished it yesterday evening."

"Yesterday eve-? Oh, you come here after you leave me at my bedroom door every evening."

"Yes. I … I find the evenings rather boring."

"Deadly," she answered.

"You only ever talked about cleaning and washing."

"I had no idea what you could be interested in."

A long pause in which neither spoke then Michael said, "So, eh, are you hungry? It is way past lunchtime."

"Actually, yes Sir, I do feel hungry. This happens all the time when I'm reading. My sisters say I would have died of hunger and thirst long ago if it hadn't been for them. I just get too engrossed in any book I read."

Michael laughed. "I do too."

After a slight hesitation he added, "Do you think you could drop the 'Sir'. My name is Michael."

"Of course, Michael, if you stop calling me 'Miss'. I'm Yuliya."

"Yuliya. Pretty name. Unusual. Shall we go then, Yuliya?"

In the dining room, considering the time, an appropriately light lunch was ready for Yuliya. During lunchtime Yuliya and Michael talked about books. She was amazed at how well read he was.

"Did you really read all those books?" she asked.

"I had nothing better to do and I've been here for … a long time."

Yuliya thought there was something strange in the way Michael hesitated before saying 'a long time'. She had the feeling he meant more years than humanly possible, not the few months or years that would be a more normal time frame.

Something suddenly occurred to Yuliya. Could Michael be the creature that was described in the papers she'd read? But if that were true he was ancient. She was wondering how to broach the subject. How do you ask someone if they are hundreds of years old? Would he tell her if she asked outright? Before she could decide what to do Michael got up, saying he still had to eat and left.

Yuliya got up as well and decided to clean the room next to the dining room first. She would resist the temptation of all those books in the library. When she opened the double doors in the dining room she saw from the size that it must be some sort of ballroom. It was enormous. The wall to the left was one row of windows, large French doors really. In a normal house they would lead out onto a terrace. These windows looked out on a wall of mud. Curtains could be closed in front of every window but they were filthy, muddy and damp.

The wall opposite the windows, to the right from where she stood had a row of mirrors. The frames of the mirrors were exact copies of the window frames. They even had curtains, though these were still in a better condition. There was no solid door in the mirror wall, so Yuliya presumed she had been mistaken about the room having doors to the hallway. Perhaps the doors in the hallway were fakes, put there across from the library doors for the sake of symmetry.

A couple of steps led from the dining room into the ballroom. On the opposite side was a stage for the musicians. When Yuliya turned to close the doors to the dining room, she saw that the inside of the doors had mirrored panels on them as well. When closed it would be an exact copy of the wall on the other side of the room, behind the stage. She had another, more careful look at the long mirror wall and eventually found the door to the hallway.

It took her all afternoon to clean one wall of mirrors. She started there so that the kitchen would be free to get rid of the curtains by the time she was ready for that job. Just before it was time to change for dinner she took the dirty curtains to the scullery. When Michael knocked at her bedroom door, Yuliya had changed into one of the dresses from the wardrobe and looked as if she'd never so much as picked up a duster in all her life.

After the meal Michael and Yuliya went to the parlour as usual, only this time they had an inexhaustible topic of conversation. They talked about and argued the merits of different books they'd read. But Yuliya's curiosity about the creature returned and eventually she asked hesitantly.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but … how old are you actually? It's been hundreds of years since the first creature was spotted. Was that you or an ancestor?"

He hesitated and then told the truth, "That was me. I am that old. I can't die."

"You're more than two hundred years old?"

"Actually, I'm more than three hundred years old."

"You've lived here all that time, in this castle under the swamp?"

"Yes, I have lived here all that time, and before you ask, on my own."

"No wonder you read all those books. It must have been so lonely."

He thought about the time he'd been there, the creature, not aware of time, just of fear. Thankfully the memory of that time was fading. After that there had been the constant battles to remain human to some extent, inwardly if not outwardly, and the increasing disgust at what he had to eat and drink to stay alive. He couldn't tell her, couldn't face the look of disgust that would surely come in her eyes.

"I … I'd rather not talk about all that."

He was silent. Yuliya thought his eyes looked haunted and wondered if he was remembering the worst of the years he had spent there all alone. She wished she hadn't mentioned it.

The rest of the evening wasted away in silence until he got up. She followed him out of the parlour.

At the door to her bedroom he said, "Good night, Yuliya."

He went away so quickly that she wasn't sure he had heard her answer, "Good night, Michael."

Yuliya went to bed, but her mind was too occupied with the things Michael had said. Three hundred years. She couldn't imagine what three hundred years of solitude would feel like. Not surprising really that he wanted a companion. She recalled the haunted look in his eyes, and wondered what memories had plagued him. She wanted to go to sleep, so she tried to empty her thoughts, think of something else, a field full of flowers, the rustling of trees in the wind. Nothing helped. Her thoughts kept returning to Michael, the creature that lived in a castle under the swamp.

After an hour tossing and turning she got out of bed and went to the library. Michael wasn't there as she had secretly hoped. Going back to bed was no use, so she took the book she'd been reading, sat in the comfortable chair and wrapped up warm in a blanket she had found lying on another chair.

Eventually she fell asleep. She woke up to a knock at the door and Michael entered the library.

"I wondered if you were here," he said, relief audible in his voice.

"I couldn't sleep and came here to read. I must have nodded off after all."

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I spoiled the evening."

"It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have been so nosey about things you don't want to talk about. I won't ask anymore until you're ready to tell me."

He nodded. "Thank you. Do you want to change first or have breakfast first?"

"Breakfast!"

Yuliya got up, folded the blanket and put it on the sofa. She closed the dressing gown properly over the somewhat revealing nightgown and walked to the dining room. Michael looked at her sitting at the other end of the table. Her dark brown hair was cascading over the pistachio green dressing gown. It was a colour that suited her and even if she wasn't as beautiful as her sisters, she was definitely a lot prettier than he had thought.

After breakfast Yuliya washed and dressed and went to the ballroom, to continue cleaning it. She knew her month was nearly up and she wanted to finish that job at least. She did what she'd set out to do. One hour before dinner on the last day Yuliya looked at a clean ballroom. The new curtains hid the wall of mud outside, the golden chandeliers reflected the candlelight, the polished floor had a warm glow, and everything was multiplied endlessly by the mirrors.

ooOOoo

That evening Yuliya couldn't quite tell what her feelings were, knowing it was the last evening she would spend with Michael. She was elated that she would see her family again the following day, but she was also sad when she thought of Michael's loneliness. He was not just a mindless beast but a man with a keen mind that surely suffered. Neither of them said much, not at the table and not afterwards in the little parlour. They would try and talk about books – normally a subject they couldn't stop discussing – but every conversation they started soon petered out. They just sat together, not wanting to end the evening but eventually it did.

After a restless night with little sleep for both of them the morning came, the last morning, the last hour of the month. Yuliya just came out of her bedroom as Michael approached. He noticed she was wearing the dress she had arrived in.

"You're looking forward to seeing your family." It was a statement, not a question.

"I haven't seen them all month. They are probably worried about me."

"Yes, of course."

Together they went down to the dining room where breakfast was waiting for Yuliya as usual. The silence of the previous day still held them. They didn't speak until the moment Michael noticed that Yuliya hadn't eaten anything.

"Don't you want breakfast this morning?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, not really."

"You are ready to go back to your family."

"Yes, I'm looking forward to seeing them again."

"Let's go then," he said and preceded her towards the entrance hall and the front doors.

Michael opened the door and stepped into the cubicle. Yuliya followed without hesitation.

"It's best if you close your eyes, otherwise the ride could make you feel dizzy and even sick."

Without questioning him, Yuliya closed her eyes. She heard him give the command 'UP!' and then she felt the sudden rush of movement. They were going upwards at a very fast rate. To steady herself Yuliya held on to Michael which surprised him. Suddenly they stopped. Yuliya could smell the dampness of the swamp, mixed with the scent of fresh, healthy vegetation.

"You can open your eyes," Michael said and Yuliya recognised where she was and where the road started that would take her home.

"Thank you for spending this month with me. As a reward you can have a wish. Any wish will be granted, whatever it is you wish for," he added.

To his surprise Yuliya said, "I thought this month was in payment for what you did for my father. You saved his life. How can I ask for anything else?"

He smiled. "You are the first one who remembers what I did for your father. Nevertheless, you are allowed one wish."

Yuliya didn't need to think. She knew what she wanted.

"I don't know if this wish can be granted," she said, "but what I wish for is for my father and Anna to have a child together. The baby boy they've been longing for, an heir for my father."

"The wish shall be granted. I too have a wish. Would you … Could you …" He sighed, it was probably a useless question but he said it anyway. "I would love you to spend another month with me. Would you?"

Yuliya studied the creature in front of her. It was an intelligent being that could talk, read, and reason, but what was Michael really like. Her strange dark eyes looked deeper to the real personality within. Was Michael man or beast?

What she saw were two sad eyes staring out of a dense fog. Deep inside it she could discern the faintest hint of a body. Whether man or beast she could not tell. Most of all she felt Michael's loneliness like a physical pain.

"I'm going home now because my family will be waiting for me."

A slight movement in the fog and a dimming of the eyes told Yuliya that Michael had lost hope, so she quickly continued, "But tomorrow morning I will be here again, for another month."

"Thank you," he whispered and turned to go. Then he remembered he hadn't shown her the safe passage to the road. He turned back and saw her well on her way home. Had she found the way out of the swamp by sheer accident?

ooOOoo

Yuliya walked home slowly. She had a lot to think about and that she could do best when alone. She realised it would not be easy to convince her father and Anna that she should go back into the swamp to the creature. There were so many arguments against it, and only her promise to counter them. What other reason could she give for what she knew she had to do?

Before she had found an answer to that question she arrived at the house. She went round the back and straight to the morning room. She stopped in the doorway, looking at her family. Her father, Anna, her sisters, she had missed them and would miss them if she returned to Michael.

They were still having breakfast. The smells wafted towards her: eggs and bacon, her father's favourite; toasted bread for Anna and Irina; coffee for the three of them; sweet pastries and hot chocolate for Annushka. There was another smell. Yuliya smiled.

"Could I have a cup of the delicious tea I smell?" she asked.

Everyone jumped up shouting her name.

"Yuliya, you're back!"

"We've missed you!"

"Thank God it's over now!"

Yuliya was embraced and kissed by everyone. Her sisters pulled her inside and to the table where a place was set for her. They poured tea in her cup, and Annushka put one of the pastries on her sister's plate.

"We thought you would be back today," said Anna.

"I'm so glad you're back, Yuliya," said her father. "Now we can forget all this nonsense and continue our lives as normal."

Yuliya decided it was best to tell her family straight away.

"It's not that simple, Father. I'm only here for a day. Tomorrow morning I'm going back."

"What? Why would you want to go back to that awful creature?" Irina shouted.

"It's just too horrid," Annushka cried.

Anna put her arm around the youngest girl to comfort her.

"Why would you do a thing like that? We've done what that beast asked. We owe it nothing," her father said.

"He's lonely, and I promised I would go back to him for another month."

They all started talking at the same time. They were angry, worried, upset, afraid, troubled but whatever they said, whether they begged, cajoled or threatened, Yuliya remained determined.

"I promised," she kept repeating. "I promised."

When words didn't change Yuliya's mind they tried to convince her in a different way. The whole day she was treated as if she was precious porcelain. They did everything to show her how much they appreciated her, hoping she would change her mind. She didn't.

Shortly before the evening meal the family sat together in the parlour. Martin was reading his newspaper, Anna and Annushka were busy with their favourite embroidery, and Irina was reading a book on accountancy. Yuliya felt the warmth of the family and their togetherness keenly. She remembered two sad, lonely eyes and she wished she could take some of the feeling back to Michael.

Annushka put her work in her sewing basket and joined Yuliya on the sofa.

"Yuliya, I'm in love," she whispered, and she told Yuliya about the wonderful man she had met.

"He's everything I hoped he'd be. He's so tall and handsome. And his eyes, he's got such beautiful eyes, as green as emeralds."

Yuliya smiled and listened patiently. She could tell her sister was really taken with this man.

"It wasn't because of his looks I first noticed him, you know," Annushka continued. "I heard him recite poetry, and it was absolutely perfect. He has such a rich deep voice. He writes his own poetry as well, such lovely poems. And every day he brings a new bunch of roses."

"Is he a well-known published poet then?" Yuliya asked.

"No, he writes his poems just for me. Isn't that so sweet?"

"And what does he do for a living? Is he a merchant like Father?"

"I don't know what he does," answered Annushka. "It doesn't matter anyway. I love him and he loves me."

"And you two are going to live on love and sunshine?"

"Don't mock me, Yuliya. Irina does that all the time. Everything will be fine, you'll see. We love each other. That's all that matters, surely."

"If he can take care of you, then it is indeed all that matters."

Not long after Annushka's sweetheart arrived.

"Yuliya, you won't … you know … 'look' at him, will you?" Annushka quickly whispered.

"If you don't want me to I won't," Yuliya replied.

The elegantly dressed man came towards them. Yuliya found him very handsome, with a genuine smile. She could see why her sister had fallen for him, and really had to stop herself from 'looking' as Annushka had called it.

Annushka introduced them.

"Yuliya, this is Felix. Felix, this is my sister Yuliya."

Felix proved to be a pleasant young man but he seemed as much an airhead as Annushka. He was very noncommittal about what he did for a living, and Yuliya could not get him to give his opinion on anything serious. Could Felix be a good husband for Annushka? True, her sister would have a sizable dowry but that wouldn't last forever especially as both Annushka and Felix seemed to like a certain style of life. Yuliya was sure that the two were deeply in love, but nothing disappears quite as quickly as love when the debt collector keeps knocking at the door.

After dinner they returned to the parlour and Annushka asked Felix to recite some of his poetry. Yuliya had to admit it was not only a lot better than she had expected, but actually very good.

The evening went by pleasantly without further badgering for Yuliya, mainly thanks to the presence of Felix who kept the family entertained. Yuliya thought about Michael, the creature, all alone in his underground palace, with nobody to talk to. Somehow, all the efforts of her family to create a warm, wonderful evening, made her more determined to go back.

Next morning she came down for breakfast, ready to leave immediately afterwards.

"Oh, no!" cried Annushka. "You're going back to that horrible place."

"You're absolutely mad. It's only an animal," was Irina's opinion.

"You know a lot of animals that read books, do you?" asked Yuliya. "Whatever he looks like, he's an intelligent being and the loneliness is really tough on him."

"You feel very strongly about this, don't you?" Martin asked.

Yuliya nodded. "Yes, father, I do."

"Then you must go, especially since you promised."

"Thank you, father." She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. You won't worry about me, won't you? I'll be fine, I promise."

"Of course we'll worry!" Annushka cried.

"You're going back to a beast," Irina said.

"Annushka, I 'looked' at him. Irina, I 'pried' as you call it. There is nothing to be afraid of."

Her sisters weren't totally convinced yet that she should go back, but they no longer tried to stop her.

ooOOoo


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Thanks to MathGeoArtFab, Clara Spencer, and Prin rox for following this story. **

* * *

**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 10**

Michael was already at the meeting point, when Yuliya arrived.

"You really came back," he said in disbelief.

Yuliya repeated what she'd said so often the previous day, "I promised."

"You might have thought you didn't need to keep a promise to an animal."

The pain in his eyes was more noticeable than ever. Yuliya shrugged.

"You're not an animal. I'm not sure what you are but definitely not an animal."

"Thank you … I think." Michael's mouth twitched, as if he tried not to laugh at what she'd said. "Shall we go in?" he asked.

Yuliya followed him as he led her to the entrance of his underground castle. She stepped onto the flagstone that took them down. She closed her eyes as he requested. She still felt the descent in the air that rushed past her. There was an increasingly stronger smell of earth, a scent that was discernible in every room of the castle in varying degrees, though nowhere as strong as here.

They finally arrived and stepped off the stone and into the entrance hall.

"Welcome again to Altena Castle," Michael said. "I'm glad you're back."

"You'll change your mind soon. I'm planning on doing more cleaning." She laughed.

"Why?"

"If you're going to eat that rubbish in the kitchen, you're going to be unavailable for a considerable time each day and I 'm not going to sit down twiddling my thumbs. I know I could use your library and read but this place looks like a pigsty and neither of us are pigs. And don't you give me that animal line again."

"No, I'm not an animal. I'm a beast, a creature of the swamp that lives by eating and drinking its filth. I'm-"

"Stop! You're not a beast either. You look like one, but you are not some mindless swamp thing. You act and talk like a gentleman, you have intelligence. As I have said before. I don't know what you are, but I know you're not a beast. Beasts don't talk and definitely don't read books."

He smiled fleetingly. Her defence of him, her anger because he said that he was a beast amused him.

"Okay, I'm not a beast. I'm not a man either, though. I still belong here, in this swamp."

She had no arguments to counter that, nothing more to say, so he took her hand and kissed it.

"See you at midday," he said and left her at the door of her bedroom.

He went to the library to read a bit and let her get on with cleaning his castle. After an hour he suddenly put down his book.

_She didn't shudder when I touched her. She didn't pull her hand away when I kissed it. She's not just being kind when she says I'm not a beast. She really means it._

The hope that Yuliya could be the girl who would share his loneliness surged up inside him. So strong was it that he had to repeat to himself that it was not all a certainty that she would stay. Yuliya had a family who loved her. Would they let her go? Would she want to leave them?

Despite these thoughts the flame of hope kept burning. For the first time Michael believed that Zinaïda's promise had not been just a lot of hot air. It didn't take him long to make up his mind. He closed his book, put it on the little table next to his chair, and left the library in search of Yuliya.

ooOOoo

The first thing Yuliya had done was check out the rooms downstairs that she had cleaned already, the first ones nearly three weeks earlier. To her surprise and joy every room looked freshly done, as if an army of invisible servants had prevented them from becoming dirty again. Happy that her work seemed to be appreciated she went up the stairs to start on the bedrooms.

The large staircase split in two halfway to the upper floor. Yuliya's bedroom was to up the right hand flight. She knew Michael's was to the left, at the end of the corridor. In the middle, in line with the main entrance was a room with double doors. In front of it, was a little sitting area. The little tables and seats were all in a heap, as if somebody had vented his anger on the inoffensive furniture.

Yuliya put tables and chairs to the side, and started to clear the floor. Among the pieces of a couple of vases and bits of candle lay two elaborate candle holders and a dish in hammered metal decorated with a bacchanalian scene. She put those with the furniture and continued sweeping up the debris. Half an hour later the area looked nearly as pretty as it must have done before it was so rudely disturbed. All it needed were candles for the candleholders, and some flowers though they would be impossible to get.

Next she went to the room across. This was a particularly large bedroom. Yuliya guessed it was the master bedroom, though Michael didn't use it. The furniture wasn't pushed over, but it was strangely bare.

_At least there should have been scent bottles, combs, a hand mirror, things like that_, she thought.

She heard the creaking of the door but didn't look up from her work, not until she heard Michael's voice.

"You know, if I help you, you'll finish quicker."

Of course he had startled her, but not for long. She turned and threw a duster at him, followed by a damp cloth.

"You can do everything that's too high for me to reach," she said.

Working together they finished the room before lunch. Afterwards Michael followed Yuliya to her next target. This surprised her.

"Isn't this the time you normally eat?" she asked.

"Yes, but I've decided to change my feeding time. Eat a lot one day, eat nothing the next. It gives me a complete day every other day to help you. If you like."

She smiled. "I would love that."

They got into an easy routine. One day they worked together in the morning, he fed in the afternoon, and she didn't see him until the evening meal; the next day they worked together all day long. The evenings though they always spent together, sitting in the parlour talking about all sorts of things, especially books, or they were in the library, reading.

Because they worked together, the work advanced at a faster rate.

"This is such a beautiful place. Why did you let it get into such a bad state?" Yuliya asked one day.

"You're angry when I call myself a beast, but the truth is that I am, and I acted like one. With all the work you've done the place looks a bit like the home I remember from my youth, but it can never be the same."

Michael shook his head. His claw like hand stroked the set of drawers Yuliya had just finished polishing. He remembered how it had looked. The matching vases either side, the china figurine in the middle, the porcelain trinket boxes. He had swiped them all on the floor. He traced the crack in the top drawer. That too had been his doing.

"If you had seen what I have destroyed you would not doubt that I am a beast."

He suddenly felt the warm touch of Yuliya's hand on his scaly arm, the first human touch he had felt since the day he had been cursed. Yes, she had touched him to steady herself going up to the surface, and he had touched her to kiss her hand, but this was different. He hardly dared breathe; he hardly dared move, fearing it was just his imagination. Slowly he turned towards her and saw the gentle smile on her face.

"Perhaps you were a beast once, but you're not now, not really. You only look like a beast, but inside you are not."

"You're sure about that, are you?"

Was she? Yuliya knew it was a question she should be able to answer easily, but the truth was that she didn't know. She had looked at him in that special way that Irina called 'prying', and had seen a fog, with a body trapped inside. A human or a beast? That she couldn't tell. She was not sure what the shape had really been. And yet, shouldn't she know without using her gift?

"Yes, I am," she said, and she hoped she sounded more certain than she felt.

ooOOoo

Only a couple of rooms had not been done yet, but the month had come to an end. Yuliya noticed Michael didn't seem well but he brushed it aside, saying there was nothing wrong with him. That evening he was very quiet again and she asked him for the reason.

"Are you sure you are well? Something is wrong. I can tell."

"It's the last day of your second month," he told her. "Tomorrow you'll go home again."

"Oh. Of course."

She had nothing more to say, and he wasn't sure if he could ask her to stay longer. Again there last evening was spent in silence, each alone with their own thoughts and worries.

The next morning he took her to the surface and asked her again what she wished for.

"I wish that my youngest sister's sweetheart will be not only what she wants but what she needs as well. I'm sure she made a silly wish but she's not a bad girl and I'd like her to be truly happy."

"You didn't wish anything for yourself again," he said, surprised.

"I don't need anything," was her simple answer.

"Could you come back for another month," he suddenly asked, speaking quickly as if he was afraid he might stop halfway through his question.

"Yes, I'll be back tomorrow," she answered and once more she was gone, safely on firm ground without needing to be told.

Her family received her with open arms again.

"Is this truly the end now," her father asked.

"The end was last time, Father," she said. "What I did this past month and what I'll do next month is for myself. I don't need to, I'm not forced or coerced, I'm simply asked and I say 'yes'."

Martin realised his strange daughter would do what she felt was right. He only hoped he wouldn't lose her forever to a beast in a swamp but decided the best course of action was not to talk about her decision to go back. He said this to his wife and to his other daughters when Yuliya was not with them. They agreed.

Martin sighed. Yuliya was a sweet girl, but once she had made up her mind she could be truly stubborn. If they kept harping on it and tried to pressurise her into staying, she would even more surely go. He knew it was a trait she had inherited from him, just like her dark hair and brown eyes.

Yuliya spent a pleasant day with her family. One moment, when Irina asked to talk to her in private, she feared she would have to hear Michael referred to as 'that beast' again, but her sister had something else on her mind.

"Yuliya, I'm expecting a visit from Daniel this evening. He's the man I'm going to marry. I don't want you to 'pry'. It's useless anyway. Nothing you can say will make me change my mind."

"As you wish, Irina. If you're that certain, there isn't much I could say anyway, is there?"

"You're not angry, are you?"

"No, Irina. I'm just worried about you and Annushka. You two are so alike, even if you look for opposite qualities in the men you love."

"I'm nothing like Annushka. I've got both feet on the ground, and she lives with her head in the clouds."

"Yes, and both of you forget there's a big world between those two, but don't worry. I won't pry."

"Thanks Yuliya. You'll like Daniel, I'm sure of it."

That evening Irina introduced Daniel and Yuliya to each other.

"Daniel, this is my sister, Yuliya. Yuliya, this is Daniel, my fiancé. We're secretly engaged. Father wants us to wait before announcing it officially but neither of us wants anybody else."

Yuliya greeted her sister's sweetheart. She had to admit he was good-looking and richly dressed. One thing bothered her though. He looked cool and distant. She could not tell from just seeing him if he really loved her sister.

When Daniel had gone Irina came to sit with her and asked her, "What do you think of him? Isn't he marvellous? He's the only son of a rich merchant and has a successful business of his own as well. He'll be able to fulfil my every wish."

"Does he love you?" Yuliya asked her sister.

"Love is overrated. It doesn't pay the bills," Irina answered.

Now Yuliya worried about the happiness of her second sister. Irina had struck feelings from her life, but Yuliya feared that one day she might regret it.

ooOOoo


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Thanks to MathGeoArtFab and mary for the reviews and to Prin rox for putting it on the list of favourites. **

**Message to mary: The story will definitely be finished. I didn't start posting until I had a complete version.**

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**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 11**

The next morning after breakfast Yuliya was on her way again. When she arrived at the meeting point, Michael wasn't there. She waited and waited a full two hours before he finally appeared.

He looked awful, sick and Yuliya asked him, "Are you alright? You look ill."

"I'm fine," he answered. "It's nothing to worry about."

She followed him to the castle under the swamp and they continued according to the routine they'd established in the previous month. Yuliya was still concerned about Michael, because he really didn't look well, but he kept brushing aside her concern.

A day or two later, she finished the last room. Only the kitchen and Michael's bedroom were left, but Yuliya had been forbidden to clean those. It was still early so she took a long relaxing bath before getting dressed for dinner. It was one of Michael's feeding days, so Yuliya hadn't seen him since lunch. Considering the time she expected Michael to turn up soon, just as he usually did. Yuliya waited and waited until past the usual time for dinner. Michael still hadn't appeared, so she decided to go look for him.

Yuliya left her room and made her way to the staircase. Looking over the railing into the hallway she saw Michael lying on the floor. She rushed down to check what was wrong with him. He was conscious but moaning as if he was in pain.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Yuliya asked.

He only moaned again.

Yuliya realised she had to get him to a bed. She knew she couldn't carry him upstairs. He would have to help.

"Do you think you can stand?" was her next question.

He nodded. With a lot of effort and Yuliya's help he managed to get up. Slowly he walked to the stairs, leaning heavily on her. It seemed to take ages to get to the first floor. Yuliya thought of the room he called his where a few sacks on the ground were the only sleeping place. It was also at the end of the corridor. She opened the door to the first room she came to and took him inside. By then Michael had gotten worse which made things easier as he was beyond complaining. She undressed him – up to a point – put him in the bed and sat next to him, listening to his heavy breathing. She wondered what was wrong with him. He hadn't looked well the morning she'd arrived either. If she had to hazard a guess she would say he looked as if he had been poisoned. But what could have done it?

Yuliya had been sitting with him for about half an hour when she noticed Michael was licking his lips. He whispered faintly, "Thirst."

She went down to the kitchen, but when she saw the horrible, stinking liquid she pumped up, she decided it wouldn't do him any good. She knew she could always find a drink for herself in the dining room. There on the table she found a carafe of water and a glass. She took it up to Michael and helped him to drink. His breathing soon became more regular. For two long days she sat by Michael's side, only leaving to have a quick bite to eat. She regularly helped him to drink some water. He didn't seem to want anything else, but Yuliya feared he was becoming weaker. On the third morning while having breakfast in the dining room where food magically appeared each day Yuliya decided to try something. She gave an order, to the castle, to invisible helpers, she didn't know who would or could listen, but she said it anyway.

"I want a bowl of stock for Michael. He can't live on water alone."

When she returned at midday she noticed that as well as her lunch there was a tray with a small tureen of steaming chicken stock, and a bowl and spoon. After her meal she took it up to the room, placed the tureen near the fire she'd lit in the grate and fed Michael a whole bowl of the stock, spoon by spoon. She did this for a week before he finally became aware of her. He was still very weak and slept most of the time.

Yuliya continued to give him food she thought would do him good, chicken soup, toast with jam or softly boiled eggs. Every morning she ordered whoever made the food appear what to get ready for him. And he ate it without thinking it was not his usual fare.

When Michael seemed well enough to be left alone for longer, she decided to tackle the two places in the whole castle that annoyed her most. The kitchen and his room, two places that made him a beast and perhaps even kept him like that.

It took her a full week before she was happy. The room was fairly quickly done. Just get rid of the rags that made the nest; the rest was straightforward cleaning as the room was otherwise totally empty. The kitchen was rather more difficult. The growth on the walls needed a lot of elbow grease to scrape off. Even then they were still filthy, and not all the growth had come off. Some of it stuck to the wall as if it was glued on. She wanted clear water from the pump as well before she continued. It had to be possible. She always had clear water for the cleaning. Whenever she had wanted it, there had been a bucket of fresh water for her.

She spent a whole day pumping, pumping, pumping. Her arms were aching, her shoulders were sore, she felt sick from the putrid stink of the liquid that came spouting out. In the afternoon it slowly started to be less thick, although still with the filthy smell. Slowly, ever so slowly, the liquid became clearer. Eventually clear water came out of the pump, still slightly stinking but clear. Finally late that evening she drew the first bucket of clear, sweet, freshly smelling water from the kitchen pump.

The following day her whole body was aching but she continued the work, washing the walls until every bit of growth, every speck of dirt had gone. At the end of the week the kitchen too was shining and Yuliya knew this was how it would be from then on, clean with fresh water.

Michael had become progressively better. For a while he hadn't know who he was, what he was, where he was, or who his nurse was. He had accepted everything like a new-born baby. Slowly memory had come back: he was the lord of the castle and that's where he was. He thought it strange it was so dark outside but decided the windows had been blinded because of his illness. He presumed the girl had been hired to look after him and was now returning to her normal duties, perhaps just bringing his food because he'd had something infectious to which she was immune.

The morning after Yuliya had finished in the kitchen, she took him his breakfast as usual. Now that Michael felt better the light had been turned up. He looked at the items on the tray: coffee, juice, toast, and soft boiled egg, all looking delicious. He stretched out his hand towards the bread and saw a scaly, green claw. In an instant his memory came back. He was a creature, a beast, not human. His castle was under the swamp and the girl who served him was really his guest, Yuliya, the only other living being in his castle. He looked at the breakfast again and remembered what he usually ate. This was not food for the creature he was; filthy liquid and fungus was his food.

"I can't eat this," he said with regret. "You know this is not what I eat."

"You've been eating it since you were well enough to eat," she answered him. "Try it, you'll see."

"Perhaps it only worked while I was so ill," he guessed.

"I'm sure it's not that. I'm sure the filth you were eating made you ill. Anyway, you won't be able to start eating that stuff again. I cleaned the kitchen and-"

"You've done what?" he shouted before she could continue.

"Cleaned the kitchen," she repeated. "There's no growth on the walls and clear water from the pump. Eat your breakfast and enjoy some real food for a change."

Gingerly he took a sip of the coffee. Ambrosia of the gods couldn't be better. A nibble of toast, a mouthful of juice, a spoonful of the egg; it all tasted like food hadn't tasted since he couldn't remember when.

Instead of wolfing it down, he savoured every bit of the food. To Michael it was like tasting everything for the first time all over again. The food Yuliya brought him for his lunch and dinner was approached in the same way: a careful taste followed by real enjoyment.

Because he now remembered who and what he was, he also noticed his surroundings.

"This is not my room," he said, and looked at her quizzically, obviously waiting for an explanation.

"No," she answered and when he kept looking at her inquiringly she added, "It was too far to drag you there. Besides it was unsuitable for an ill person, and I was not going to spend days on end sitting in that filthy den."

"Days on end? How long have I been ill?"

"More than a fortnight now."

"And you sat by my bed all that time?"

"Not really. Only until you were well enough to be left on your own. Then I sorted out that filthy den you used to sleep in and that atrocious kitchen. Thank God the cleaning is done now."

"Thank you, Yuliya, from the bottom of my heart."

He kissed her hand again, and again she didn't pull it away.

Two days later Michael had made his way down for breakfast and was waiting in the dining room for Yuliya. She was surprised to see him up already.

"Are you sure you shouldn't be in bed?" she asked him.

"Very sure," he answered. "I'll go mad if I have to lie in bed any longer."

For the first time they had a meal together. They talked about food, about the kind of things they liked. In the evening, sitting together they talked about the food they had at supper, about food that was mentioned in books and about favourite books. They had a long discussion on a book they couldn't agree on and laughed because they each had their own opinion, even if they could see the other's point of view.

Of course the month was soon over now, especially since his illness had taken away more than half of it.

Thanks to Yuliya's care, Michael was well enough to take her back to the surface.

"You're allowed to make another wish," he said.

She knew already what she wanted.

"I think my second sister, Irina, made as stupid a wish as Annushka. I wish she gets a man as rich as she wants but who still has a heart that belongs to her, and that she may discover hers."

"You never wish anything for yourself," he said. "Why don't you?"

"I have nothing to wish for," she answered.

"I do have a wish," he said. "I wish you would return to me tomorrow. To stay for as long as I need you."

She looked Michael in the eyes. For the first time she noticed they didn't resemble the eyes of a frog or lizard. Clear brown, golden flecked, warm eyes looked at her.

Yuliya was not afraid to search for his soul now, even if she didn't know what to expect. She'd seen people whose soul scared her as it looked even more like a beast than the creature she looked at now. She'd seen people whose soul was barely distinguishable from the real person. She'd seen the whole range from real monster to man and everything in between. Very rarely there was someone whose soul was more beautiful than the real person.

Then she saw what Michael, the creature looked like; a handsome man with dark brown hair that was just a bit long. He looked hopeful and worried at the same time. She smiled at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

Before he could tell her where to go she was on the road, walking towards her home.

ooOOoo

As always her father, Anna, Irina, and Annushka were happy to see her. They bombarded her with news of everything that had happened in the past month. Irina proudly boasted that Daniel was now considered to be the wealthiest merchant in town and Annushka glowed when she showed the published poems of Felix. She pointed out the dedication that read 'To the Queen of my Heart'.

Yuliya didn't really need the whispered, "That's me."

Anna was the first to notice that Yuliya was very quiet, even if she showed interest in everything her sisters said. It was as if Yuliya was already somewhere else. While the girls were happily chatting, Anna leaned over to Martin and whispered in his ear.

"Martin, she will go away again."

Martin waited until his younger daughters had told all their news before asking, "Yuliya, will you stay here now?"

Just like the previous times she answered, "I'm only here for today. Tomorrow I'm going back."

"Why would you go back to that animal?" Irina's asked.

"He looks awful, scary and yucky," Annushka stated. "I would die if I saw that creepy beast again."

"He's not an animal or a beast. I have seen humans whose souls were more beastlike than Michael appears to be. He is a man, and I feel I have to go back. I feel he needs me. I can't let him down."

Martin remembered the first time his daughter had mentioned that a person looked different from what everyone else saw. The day she had told him the nanny was a snake, something the woman turned out to be in a way. Another memory came to him. When he had informed his parents of his plans to marry Elizaveta, his mother had told him that she came from family to which strange people were born. To be more precise: strange women. At least she had lived long enough to see how happy Elizaveta had made him. There had never been anything strange about his first wife. Irina and Annushka were very normal young girls as well, but Yuliya had always been … not otherworldly, or fairylike, or anything silly like that, but he couldn't deny his oldest daughter had become a strange young woman.

"Go back to him, Yuliya. Stay as long as you need to. You'll come back to us when you are ready."

"And if I decide to stay with him forever?"

"Then you will come to us one last time to say goodbye."

Yuliya embraced her father. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you for understanding, Father."

"Are you sure, Martin," Anna asked.

He nodded and then told his younger daughters not to pester their sister with demands for her to stay. He said it so sternly and seriously that they understood he meant it. They left Yuliya in peace, just talked about their boyfriends and their plans for a wedding. Annushka was still praising her boyfriend for being so romantic and sweet, her absolute dream. Irina showed Yuliya the many presents her sweetheart had given her, one even more expensive than the other.

Yuliya hoped that her wishes for her sisters and for Anna would all come true.

ooOOoo

Soon after breakfast the next morning Yuliya said goodbye to her family, embracing each of them in turn.

"Don't forget your promise," Martin said, and she shook her head, unable to speak.

With tears in her eyes Anna said, "Take care, Yuliya. We will miss you."

Annushka just embraced her, crying all the while.

Even Irina's voice was unsteady when she said, "I don't know why you want to go back to that beast. You are crazy."

Somehow they all knew it would be months before Yuliya returned, and then probably only to say goodbye for ever.

At the meeting point Michael was waiting for her as usual. Yuliya hoped he wouldn't see how difficult it had been to take leave of her family.

"I'm always amazed when you come back to me," he said when she approached.

"I promised you, didn't I? Of course I come back. I won't break a promise."

"Not even the promise to a beast? Some would say that doesn't count anyway."

"It does for me. Shall we go in?"

"Yes. For another month?"

"For as long as you want me," she said. "I won't return to the surface until you tell me to go home."

Michael couldn't believe what he heard. She would stay with him. There would be no more loneliness. Then he saw the slight puffiness of her eyes, the tears she tried to hold back. He wanted to stroke her hair, hold her in comfort, but at the last moment he held back, realising what he looked like.

"Thank you, Yuliya. Thank you for coming back. I'll do everything in my power to make you happy," he whispered.

ooOOoo


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Thanks to mary and the nameless guest for the review, Thank you very much MsDrox and NiallsLady18 for following this story and putting it on your list of favourites.  
**

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**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 12**

For a few days Yuliya was more quiet than usual. She and Michael spent most of the time sitting together in the parlour. Instead of talking Michael read out loud from a favourite book. He didn't know whether she heard him or not, she seemed so deep in thought. Early on the evening of the third day he read the last sentence of the story and closed the book. For a moment they were both silent. Yuliya was the first to speak.

"That was beautiful," she said. "You have a wonderfully warm, deep voice. It was so soothing to listen to."

"I'm glad I could do something to please you after all you have done for me, but was it just my voice or did you like the book as well? It's one of my favourites, you see."

"Yes, I did like it. I would like to read one of mine to you, but you probably won't have it. It is fairly recent."

"I do get a regular supply of new books. Somebody keeps my library up to date. Come, we'll have a look."

They went into the library where he showed her the section with more recent works. She soon found what she was looking for.

"You want to read that to me?" he said in horror. "That's just a bit of a love story. I didn't think you were into romantic nonsense."

"This is not romantic nonsense," she answered. "This is a very witty social criticism disguised as a romantic novel. You will lap it up, Sir."

"I bet I won't."

"I bet you will, and if you do you'll take off those pitiful rags you're wearing and put on some decent clothes. There must be some somewhere."

"Agreed. If I like the story and you can find me some decent clothes, I'll put them on. But what if I don't like it? What then?"

She wondered what she could give him. After all she had nothing. The whole place was his. What could she give him that was hers to give? She looked at him; saw the man and not the creature.

"I think I know what I can give you," she said. "But I fear you won't be honest about the book if I tell you what it is, so I'm keeping it a secret."

"And you won't change your mind about this gift if I win?"

"I'll write it down, seal it in an envelope, and I'll use it as a bookmark."

He agreed it was a good suggestion, and the new book was started the following evening. When it was finished he had to admit that she had won the bet.

"Losing was not that bad anyway," he said. "I enjoyed a book that I wouldn't have touched otherwise, and I'll be very happy to wear some proper clothes again."

They went to the master bedroom that had been his. While rummaging through the clothes for something that was not stained or moth-eaten he asked her what he would have gotten if she had lost.

"Just a kiss," she answered absentmindedly.

"A kiss? It was a good idea that you didn't tell me. I would have denied liking the book, even if my nose had grown ten feet long as a result."

"I know. Why do you think I didn't tell you?" she said, holding back the laughter.

They found a shirt and trousers for him to wear, and though he wondered if a creature in clothes didn't look laughable, she said he looked great. The man _she _saw did look good.

Now that all the work was done and invisible hands had taken over the upkeep, the whole of Altena Castle was their play area. First and foremost the library. They spent a lot of time there, just reading, sometimes one reading to the other. They shared their favourite novels, favourite poems, favourite paragraphs. Sometimes they just sat together quietly reading, each in a chair, deep in a book. An air of companionship would pervade the place, making it warm and cosy. Even though they didn't talk or look at each other, each felt the presence of the other. They knew they were not alone.

One day Yuliya noticed that the door to the ball room was open. When she went inside she saw the room was still sparklingly clean, just like the day she'd finished the job. She was still admiring the room in all its splendour when Michael came in.

"This place needs some music," he said. "There should be a proper ball and I would invite you to be my partner for every dance."

She smiled at him. "We could imagine the music," she said.

He disagreed. "For a real ball, you need real music. Otherwise it isn't a proper ball."

"For a real ball you need more than two people," she countered.

"Not necessarily if it's a private function."

"Well we have no music anyway," she sighed.

They left the room and closed the door.

Two days later when they went to get dressed for dinner, they found eveningwear lying ready on their beds. While Yuliya believed Michael was responsible, he thought she had arranged the clothes. They left their rooms at the same time dressed as if for a ball. Yuliya no longer saw the creature but looked at Michael's soul. In her eyes out of the room came a handsome man, dressed in ivory coloured trousers and shirt, a gold embroidered vest, purple jacket with gold trimming and black boots.

Yuliya looked radiant in a dark ocean green dress, trimmed with cream-coloured lace. Michael took her hand and kissed it.

"This is a special surprise," he said.

"For me too," she answered.

"You didn't put the clothes in the bedroom?"

"No, of course not. You didn't arrange this?"

"No, how could I?"

As they walked down the stairs, the double doors to the ballroom opened. From it music drifted up towards them.

"Shall we?" Michael asked.

She nodded and they entered the ballroom. Michael took her in his arms and together they danced to the music without speaking a word, both wishing they were not in an enchanted castle under a swamp.

After a while invisible hands opened the doors to the dining room. There a feast was set out for them. Michael escorted her to the table. After they'd had their meal they went back to the ballroom and danced until they were tired. Then they sat together in the parlour as usual, chatting.

Yuliya talked about her youth, the death of her mother and the day Anna became her stepmother.

"You weren't afraid of getting a stepmother. They're always vicious to stepchildren. In the stories anyway."

"They're just that, stories. Anna was exactly what our family needed. She's been a mother to my sisters, a friend to me and my father's true love. Their happiness only lacks a son."

"That was your first wish, as I recall."

She nodded.

"And the two other wishes were for your sisters. I remember the first one cried the whole time she was here."

"And you got so fed up with the noise, that you sent her home," she laughed.

"True," he admitted. "I hoped the second would be better, but she was cold as ice. She seemed totally without feeling."

"Both my sisters have a lesson to learn. Annushka needs to know that romance and frivolity are fine but live has its more serious side as well. Irina needs to realise how cold a life without feelings of love and friendship could be. But what's the point in teaching these lessons if they could never profit from them. That's why I added my wishes to theirs."

"I wish you had been there when I needed to be taught a lesson," Michael said quietly.

"You mean when you were still Michael, Lord of Altena Castle, Altena Village, and the land surrounding it?"

He looked at her in disbelief. "How did you know?" he asked.

"I've read everything I could about the castle that used to be here, the good and kind old Lord, the harsh unjust young Lord and the castle's disappearance at the very moment a great, big swamp appeared. The name of the last lord happened to be Michael as well. When I added it all up I came to an incredible conclusion but not one that is stranger than me being here at the bottom of your swamp with you."

"I deserved the punishment I got. I was given fair warning after all." Michael sighed.

"I believe you did then, but not now," Yuliya said.

"Thank you," was all he managed to say.

Michael was deep in thought. He regretted what he had done because of the pain it had caused innocents, and he had deserved to be punished. Strange then that this punishment had brought Yuliya to him, a girl he would never have met otherwise. At first sight she was perhaps not a beauty like her sisters but now that he knew her he realised she was more than just beautiful. Her smile lit up her face and made her eyes shine like the brightest stars. She was clever, had a quick mind, and was kind as well. Her beauty came from within and would outlast any outward beauty her sisters or any other girl could have. Michael knew he was falling in love with this girl and wondered if she would want to stay with him, even when the way to the surface and her family was closed off forever.

The next morning, Yuliya wasn't in her room when Michael went to fetch her in the morning. He wondered if she'd gone to the dining room already, looked for her there, then checked the library and the parlour but couldn't find her in either place. He stood at the foot of the stairs wondering where she could have gone to when he heard a noise from the direction of the kitchen. Michael hadn't been there since he had stopped eating fungus and drinking filth. He went in and was surprised at how bright and clean the place was.

Yuliya was there, cooking something.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Making pancakes," she answered. "Every day there is so much good food at the breakfast table, more than the two of us can eat but never, as long as I've been here, have there been pancakes. I fancied pancakes today and because I found all the ingredients here in the kitchen, I decided to make some."

"You can cook?"

"Of course I can cook and more than just pancakes. Father is a wealthy merchant but that wasn't always the case. He wanted my sisters and me to be prepared for anything in life. That's why he made sure we were raised like ladies so we wouldn't embarrass a wealthy husband, and at the same time we were taught how to run a household without servants in case fortune turned on us."

"Can you teach me?" Michael asked. "To make pancakes I mean," he clarified.

"Of course. If you want me to."

"I think I'd like to be able to make something in my life, even if it is only pancakes."

She told him what he needed and how to go about making pancakes. Soon they were laughing aloud because of his clumsiness. He tried to toss them but at best they ended up as a folded heap in the pan. Most landed on the floor and two even stuck to the ceiling because he had tossed them too high. Eventually he did manage to make some. Still laughing they carried a stack of pancakes – some rather oddly shaped – into the dining room. They enjoyed their somewhat delayed breakfast.

"I never realised how much fun could be had in a kitchen. We should do that again. Could you teach me to make other things as well?"

"Yes, of course," she answered.

Cooking became a regular pastime for them. The library had a section on cookery and they would look at recipes and try the ones that sounded nice. Somehow whatever they decided to make, they would find all necessary ingredients in the kitchen.

They were well into another month when Michael reminded her that she hadn't been home.

"I know," she said, "but I told Father and Anna and my sisters too that I wouldn't be back until you stopped needing me."

"Thank you. I know you told me when you arrived, but I thought you would go back to your family. I presumed they had insisted you return from time to time." He took her hand, hoping she wouldn't withdraw it or shudder in disgust, and kissed her fingers, repeating to her, "Thank you for staying."

ooOOoo

Hour by hour the days slipped away, day by day the weeks went and week by week the months passed. Yuliya and Michael enjoyed each other's company more than they had anticipated. They could be serious together, talking about something they'd read in a book. Discussing things like honour, justice, right and wrong and even love but this made Yuliya blush and he stopped. On other days they ran around the palace like children, playing hide and seek. Or, walking down the picture gallery, she asked him about his ancestors and the kind of people they had been.

Everything seemed to go well for Michael. Here was a girl who could be more than a mere companion. She was his equal. Even if he still had been the Lord of Altena Castle and owner of everything that surrounded it, even then she would have made a worthy partner. And this girl was willing to stay with him. She was not horrified at spending her time with a beast. She even touched him as if he was a human being and not a creature. Michael dared to dream of a life with Yuliya.

But Michael wasn't the old selfish young man anymore. He was not just preoccupied with himself and therefore he noticed that something was wrong with Yuliya. Even though she didn't say anything, never complained or even hinted at it, he knew that she wasn't entirely happy at the bottom of the swamp. When he took her out into the open air for a picnic, he saw how pale Yuliya had become. When the roses returned to her cheeks the difference was too startling. It shocked him deeply.

He also saw that the days that remained of his year were less than the ones that had gone. With each day that passed his dream of having Yuliya as permanent companion dwindled. Once he had thought of asking her to stay with him, but he realised he could never do that. It would kill her to have to live at the bottom of the swamp, not being able to return to the surface, even for a picnic. His heart ached at the thought of losing her but he knew he would give her up. He had to, he had no choice.

From the moment he'd noticed that Yuliya needed the fresh outside air, he made sure to go to the surface whenever the weather made it possible. They walked around in the swamp, Yuliya seeing where the safe paths were. He wondered at it again and asked her about it.

"How is it that you know every path in my swamp? You walk through it as if it's a park instead of a swamp. How do you do it?"

"I just see the path," she said. "Anna and Father say I see deeper, things other people don't see. I never thought about it. Even as a child I saw if I could trust someone or not. When we came here I quickly realised it was not just people I could read."

He wondered what she saw when she looked at him, but daren't ask, afraid of the answer. And Yuliya didn't dare tell him what he looked like to her. Her feelings for Michael prevented her from revealing what she saw. Yuliya knew she loved Michael. She was sure she didn't want a man like Michael, she wanted him and no other. He was everything she wanted in a man. She even forgot that he still looked like a creature, a beast, a monster.

Michael knew that not even the prettiest girl in the world could make him forget about Yuliya. He'd never seen a woman like her and this strange girl, not the prettiest of the sisters, was the one he loved. He knew it was love he felt because nothing in his life had hurt as much as the thought of losing her. And he knew he would lose her. He would send her home, rather than see her wither in his underground prison.

He hid his thoughts from her while the last two months flew by. He made sure that these were the best months of Yuliya's stay. They laughed together, talked together, read the same books together. She continued to teach him how to cook. They even made a cake together. Then Michael wanted to instruct her in something he was good at: fencing and shooting.

After a whole day's practicing she admitted, "You are a lot better in the kitchen than I will ever be with sword or pistol."

"That's good. You're too good in everything else."

She laughed. "I'm far from good in everything else. Music for instance. I can play the piano and sing, but no better than most girls. And drawing, that other staple of a girl's education, well, I haven't got one drawing that's even half decent."

"Ah! The goddess falls of her pedestal and is human after all, and I, a mere mortal, can approach her," Michael declared.

"A pedestal? No Sir, you mistook my soap box for the lofty column on which the goddess stands." Yuliya joked.

"I would like to draw you as a goddess. Would you let me? I used to be very good at it. Of course it's been a while. Perhaps I won't be able to hold a pencil."

"I'll sit for you, and afterwards I'll criticize your handiwork. I'm very good at criticizing. Too good according to my sisters."

He found everything he needed, which neither thought was a real surprise. As promised he drew her as a goddess, Flora surrounded by flowers. When the drawing was finished she studied it carefully.

"You really have talent," she said. "But I'm sure you've embellished your subject."

"No I haven't," he countered and looked at her until she turned away, embarrassed.

ooOOoo

And so the last day of the year arrived. Michael had looked for a companion and now had found one, and today he would let her go. He would rather have her believe he was a cold-hearted creature than let her die in his castle in the swamp. He took her up to the surface to have a picnic in the open air.

_The last one_, he thought with a pang.

After their picnic they had a walk through the swamp. Where they could Yuliya linked her arm in his. At such moments Michael knew he would need all his determination to send her away.

They criss-crossed the swamp in every direction and eventually came back to their starting point.

"It's time for you to go home, Yuliya," Michael said.

"Yes, I think it is. I want to see my family again one last time. See how my sisters are doing. And Father and Anna," she replied.

"I don't want you to come back, Yuliya."

"You know I don't mean to stay away. I'll be here tomorrow morning, like usual."

"I won't be here to let you come back into the castle," he said, making his voice sound harsh and uncaring.

"You're not serious, surely." There was uncertainty in her voice.

"I'm very serious. Go home and don't come back. I don't want you anymore."

It hurt him to say it, but he couldn't let her stay when the swamp would close above him forever. He wanted to imagine her, happy, walking in the sun, rather than seeing her wither away and die in the dank and dark depths of the swamp that was his home.

"Actually," he added through gritted teeth, "I want to use my remaining time to find a companion. You're just not good enough."

Yuliya, who still saw Michael as a man even after his careless rejection of her, suddenly realised what he was doing.

"The year is up. You have no time to find anyone else. You'll be locked up down there again for hundred years. Let me stay with you. It is too lonesome otherwise."

"NO! Go home and leave me alone!" he shouted. Then he turned his back on her and ran further into the swamp.

Yuliya stood frozen to the spot. She couldn't believe he had just run away. _The stone._ The thought shook her out of her stupor. As quickly as she could she went to the stone that was the entrance to the castle. She found the spot but not the stone. It seemed Michael had gone down already. She waited and waited for hours. When evening approached and the waning light made the swamp look even more desolate, Yuliya finally accepted that he would not return. Slowly she started for home, looking back a couple of times in the vain hope that he would reappear. She didn't believe that he cared so little for her. Her gift had still shown her the man. If he had really been as callous as he had wanted to appear, she would have seen the creature or some other animal. He had wanted to spare her a life without sun and fresh air and had chosen loneliness for himself, of that she was convinced.

Yuliya was so distraught that she didn't think of using her gift to locate Michael. She didn't know he was hiding, following her figure as it disappeared out of sight. He had wanted her to believe in his indifference, hoping it would help her forget him.

He ran to the dead tree from which he would be able to see her get home; perhaps even catch a glimpse of her through the open curtains, the last one. He waited until the lights came on, saw the family sitting in the parlour, saw that she was loved by all of them. Then somebody closed the curtains and Michael went down to his castle. He knew he'd done the right thing but it hurt worse than the day he saw the face of a monster when he looked in the mirror.

He entered the place that was to be his lonely home for eternity. He wanted to destroy it, tear it to pieces. He was ready to turn over a side table breaking and scattering everything on it, when he remembered how hard Yuliya had worked to make the place a home again. It was her legacy to him and he couldn't destroy it.

ooOOoo


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Thank to Prin rox and NiallsLady18 for the review. I didn't mean to wait this long to post this chapter. Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

**THE CASTLE IN THE SWAMP**

**Chapter 13**

On her way home Yuliya cried. She felt terrible. She had lost a friend, more than a friend. She would have stayed with Michael forever. She loved him, but that had to remain her secret. Her family could never know her pain. When she felt she had gained control over her feelings, and would be able to talk to her family without breaking down, she hurried home.

Yuliya knocked on the parlour window in passing, and had barely time to ring the doorbell. Annushka was there already to open the door, and nearly smothered her in an embrace.

"You're back, you're back," her little sister stammered.

The rest of the family, wondering where Annushka had gone to, came to the door as well. They all embraced and kissed Yuliya, all talking together so that nobody understood anything of what the others said.

Eventually Anna suggested, "Let's go back inside and Yuliya can tell us everything."

Annushka held Yuliya's hand as they went inside. She didn't even let go when Yuliya was seated in her usual place but plopped down at her feet.

"Do you have to leave again tomorrow?" she asked anxiously.

"No," Yuliya answered. "It is done. He doesn't want me anymore."

"It's finally over, and about time too," Irina stated.

They were all so happy about Yuliya's return that they didn't notice the sadness in her eyes. Her sisters were telling her everything that had happened in the past months. Who had become engaged to whom, who was married, the scandal of an elopement, what parties and social events they had gone to. Suddenly they were interrupted by a baby's crying. Martin jumped up and left the room, shortly after returning with a little gurgling bundle.

"Yuliya, meet your brother, Martin Junior," her father said proudly.

For the first time since she had left Michael Yuliya's eyes lit up.

"Oh, how wonderful! Finally you've got your son and heir, Father. I'm so happy for the two of you. You'll just have to stop Father from spoiling him, Anna."

"He's already started," Anna said, laughing. "One whimper, and your father is there trying to soothe him."

Yuliya didn't know if the birth of her little brother was really the result of her first wish, or something that would have happened anyway. Not that it was that important. The only thing that mattered was the happiness of her father and Anna.

Later that evening Yuliya realised that neither of her sisters' boyfriends were present. Had something gone wrong ? Had the couples split up? She wondered if she could ask Annushka who was still seated at her feet. Just then the younger girl stood up.

"Let's take a turn around the room, Yuliya," she said.

Yuliya complied, hoping there might be occasion to talk about the young men. They had barely started walking when Annushka broached the subject herself.

"Do you remember what you said about Felix and me living on love?" she whispered in Yuliya's ear.

Yuliya nodded. Of course she remembered. That was the reason why she had made her second wish.

"I wondered why he wasn't here," she said. "Did you two break up?"

"No, of course not. We love each other," was Annushka's reply. "But after you'd gone the last time, I thought about what you had said and I asked him, if he had a job or if his poetry paid enough to live off. He wanted to know if I was interested in what he did, and I said of course I was."

"And does he have a job?"

Annushka's smile could have won prizes for smugness. "He's the business partner of Irina's boyfriend. They're doing really well. Father's impressed."

"I'm so glad for you Annushka," Yuliya said happy that Felix had turned out to be the right man for her little sister.

Next morning, before anyone was awake, Yuliya went to the edge of the swamp. Michael wasn't there, just as he had said. Yuliya closed her eyes and tried to find him with her mind, without success. The swamp was empty, a dead place. Michael was somewhere under the desolation and she could not reach him. Her gift was not strong enough to pierce through the mud of the swamp. Or perhaps the curse prevented her from reaching him. She would never see him again. Her sorrow was too heavy for tears. Slowly she went back home and to her surprise met Irina on the way.

"I saw you leave," Irina said. "I followed because I wanted to speak to you alone."

Yuliya hooked her arm in her sister's.

"What did you want to ask me?"

"Not ask, Yuliya. Tell. You were right about money not being enough for marriage. I thought it would be, but seeing Annushka and Felix together – always happy and so much in love – I started to feel I was missing out. There never seemed time for Daniel and me to just walk or sit down together, talking about our future. Daniel only talked about the money he'd made and the success of his business."

"What happened? Did you break up?" Yuliya asked.

She had a feeling of déjà vu, asking the same question again. To her surprise she received the same answer.

"Of course we didn't break up. I just asked him if we couldn't be more like a real couple, if he had real feelings for me."

"And?" Yuliya asked when her sister stopped talking.

"It was my fault all along that he seemed so cold. Daniel was as happy as anything when I told him I wanted love, not just money. It's been wonderful ever since."

When Yuliya didn't say anything Irina added, "You can say, 'I told you so', Yuliya. You were right all along."

Yuliya just smiled. Together they went into breakfast where the talk was all about preparations for the festivities at the end of the week. The party was to celebrate the birth of little Martin. Later on Martin Senior would announce the engagements of his daughters Annushka and Irina.

"Such a shame you haven't got a boyfriend, Yuliya. It could have been a triple engagement," said Annushka.

It was like the start shot to a race. Both Annushka and Irina attempted to find a partner for Yuliya. She still needed a dress for the party so they took her to Ellinford. Once there they introduced her to friends of Felix and Daniel. After the fifth man they 'happened to meet' Yuliya had had enough.

"Stop trying to be marriage brokers," she told her sisters. "I am not interested."

"But it would be such fun," Annushka said.

"Fun for whom, Annushka?" she queried. "Fun for you because your dream of a triple engagement came true, or fun for me because you persuaded me to become engaged to a man I don't love?"

"I'm sorry, Yuliya. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know, Annushka. Come, let's go and find me a dress for the party."

Yuliya had put her arm around Annushka's shoulders and started to walk away.

"You love it, don't you?"

Irina's words stopped Yuliya instantly.

"You are in love with that beast, that swamp creature, aren't you?"

Yuliya turned to face her sister.

"Stop calling him a beast. Michael is a man."

"Michael? You gave it a name?"

"His name IS Michael. He's the lost Lord of Altena Castle. And yes, Irina, you are right, I love him. But he has sent me away and I can never go back to him."

"He obviously didn't love you then."

"He loved me too well, Irina. Can't you understand?"

"I suppose so," Irina admitted reluctantly.

"We won't be so pushy anymore," Annushka added.

They continued their shopping expedition until they found a dress they could more or less agree on.

ooOOoo

The day of the party finally arrived. Martin and Anna with their baby in his cot between them welcomed the guests. Next to them stood the three girls who also greeted everyone who entered the house.

Whenever a bachelor appeared, either Annushka or Irina and sometimes both would ask Yuliya, "What about him?"

The answer was always the same, "No!"

Daniel and Felix were among the last visitors to arrive. Yuliya couldn't help herself and had a quick 'look'. She liked what she saw, and gave them a warm welcome before they took Annushka and Irina to line up with the other couples. Finally the dancing could begin. All the guests had arrived, and Martin took the cot with his son to a sitting area where the matrons congregated. While they were clucking and cooing over the little boy, Martin and Anna took a turn on the dance floor. Meanwhile Yuliya had found a place near the entrance. From there she could observe everyone without being disturbed or even noticed. The evening couldn't end quickly enough for her, but she had to stay until her father had announced the engagements of her sisters.

ooOOoo

Day after day Michael walked about like an automaton. Eating because there was food on the table in the dining room, sleeping when exhaustion overtook him. It seemed as if an eternity had passed though in reality it had only been seven days since he had sent Yuliya away. That evening Zinaïda appeared in the dining room where he was sitting at the table, staring into nothing.

"I thought you would have dinner with the girl. Is she in her room?" she inquired.

"I sent her home, Zinaïda," was his short answer.

"Why? I believe the girl was willing to stay."

"Her name is Yuliya not 'the girl' and do you really think I wanted her to die in this place? Do you think I could have kept her here, knowing it would be my fault that she slowly withered?"

"No need to worry about her dying. I can easily give her eternal life, so she can be with you forever. You certainly earned that much."

"As if living in this place for eternity is any better than dying in it. I can no more subject her to a life in this place than to death."

"The old Michael would have had no problem keeping a girl here to be his companion," she said matter-of-factly.

"The old Michael was a swine who deserved everything he got," he said.

"True, but I also promised him something if he changed."

"Yes, the chance to not have to live alone. Well, I don't care about your promise because I can't inflict this on any living creature, least of all one I love. The old Michael would have kept Yuliya here but she wouldn't have cared for him. She would have seen right through to the beast inside him and rejected him."

"Yes, she's a special girl, your Yuliya. There is fairy blood in her mother's family, you know. Occasionally that results in a girl like her. Shall I show you what she sees when she looks at you? Have a peek in the mirror there, that's what you look like to her," Zinaïda instructed Michael.

He didn't know what to expect. To his surprise he saw the man he used to be. Nearly anyway. This man had neither the hard staring eyes, nor the cruel sneer on his mouth.

Michael looked at Zinaïda.

"That's how she saw me?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, and that's what you are Michael. Do you remember my curse? I said you would look like the thing you really are, and you do. You've exceeded my most optimistic expectations of you. You've become the true son of your parents, a man who would choose loneliness for himself rather than make the woman he loves suffer. Go to Yuliya," Zinaïda told him.

He looked at the fairy, confused, not knowing what she meant.

"You broke the curse, Michael. There's nothing left of the man who was cursed, so it's dissolving. What you see in the mirror is reality. You're no longer a beast. This evening there's a party at Yuliya's house. Her little brother is christened. Go get ready. I left suitable clothing in your bedroom."

Michael found the clothes lying on the bed. While getting ready he felt as if he was in a dream, fearing he might wake up but he didn't. He went down again to Zinaïda who looked at him approvingly and took him to the surface.

"Enjoy the evening, Michael. When you come back, your home will be in its place with the gardens around it, just as it was all those years ago before the curse."

When he came to the edge of the swamp, Michael hesitated before he stepped on the solid ground beyond. He walked towards Yuliya's house, faster and faster and finally he was running towards the noise, the people, the music, and Yuliya.

ooOOoo

The party had been going for some time. Yuliya was still sitting in her little corner, observing the dancing couples. She remembered her one and only ball with Michael and had to bite back the tears. She missed him.

_Living underneath a swamp with him would be far better than living without him_, she thought.

She had closed her eyes to stop the tears that threatened to spill over.

A voice above her said, "Miss Yuliya, you're one of the best dancers here, if not the best. You should be enjoying yourself instead of sitting in a corner. I hope you won't deny me the honour and pleasure of a dance with you."

Yuliya flinched. She had recognised the voice but realised it could not be Michael. He could not be here. She looked up at the man who'd spoken and looked into Michael's eyes. He saw she was shaking. She put her hand on her mouth to stifle a cry. Michael gently escorted Yuliya away from prying eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Yuliya couldn't keep her eyes off the man she'd been thinking about all those long days since she'd returned to her home.

"Is it really you?" she asked with shaking voice. "Or am I just dreaming? Michael, how can you be here?"

"Yuliya, my Yuliya. I'm really here. I've got so much to tell you."

Yuliya had recovered her composure.

"Come," she said, escorting Michael into the garden to a small summerhouse.

They sat down on the bench inside and Yuliya instructed him, "Tell!"

Michael told her everything about the person he'd been and the punishment of Zinaïda, the fairy. He spoke about the promise of a companion, about the flowers in the swamp and the girls who had wanted them, his failed attempts to find someone. Then he talked about the time he'd seen the family walk through the swamp, a day Yuliya remembered, and how he'd hoped one of the girls might be the companion he was looking for, though he didn't know how to achieve that. Then he'd had an unexpected chance when he'd saved Martin; a chance he took when the girl's father offered a reward for saving his life.

"What a fool I was back then," he said, "that I chose your pretty sparkling sister first. She was so frightened, she did nothing but cry. And Irina your other pretty sister who was cold as ice. Then you came. Do you know, at first I thought you were a simpleton, just because you did nothing but clean all day? Thankfully I found out in time what gem fate had brought to me."

He caressed her face.

"And when I had realised that, I realised I would have to let you go," he said, his voice hoarse with the memory of the pain.

"I would have stayed with you," she said, touching his face as well, needing to feel he was really there.

"I know you would have stayed, that's why I had to send you away. You would have died in that dreadful place. Then Zinaïda offered to make you immortal and I couldn't bear to subject you to eternity without the sun. And suddenly Zinaïda said I should come here, to this party and to you. The curse is broken, the castle and gardens will be returned to their old splendour. I can have a normal life. And I've got only one thing to ask. Yuliya, now that you know what kind of person I was and how much I needed the punishment I received, would you still marry me? Be my wife, the mistress of my castle?"

And Yuliya, the wise daughter of Martin, who had advised her sisters on the men they had chosen, who had told Annushka it was impossible to live on love alone, threw caution to the wind and said, "Yes, Michael, I'll be your wife."

"I'm not as wealthy as I was," Michael warned. "The village is independent now, as is North farm and your father owns the land that used to be South farm. They are lost and I won't ask they be returned to me. The land of the other two farms still belongs to me but it will be hard work to re-claim the fertile fields from the overgrown meadows they've become."

"Michael, I would have lived under the swamp with you, and I wouldn't be afraid if all we had was a little hovel with some land to work on." She laughed. "But what you offer me is more than we had until we came here and more than I ever expected."

He laughed as well, a joyful, happy laughter.

"Do you think your father will see me?"

"We'll go to him together. Annushka will be over the moon that there will be a triple engagement announced this evening. And even Irina will be pleased. They've been pestering me since my return. I think they have tried to introduce me to every bachelor within two days' travel from here."

"I could have lost you. You could have chosen one of them."

"Not a chance," Yuliya said. "Nobody would do but you."

They went back to the house, hand in hand and quickly found Martin. It took longer to explain who Michael was, even in the quiet of Martin's office. When he finally understood and realised what was asked of him, he only had to look at Yuliya's happy face to give his consent.

Just before midnight Martin made the announcement.

"Friends, neighbours, my guests, I'm delighted to see you all in my house, to celebrate with me the happiness that has befallen me and my family. First of all there is the joy I share with my wife Anna in the birth of my son, the boy she and I and my daughters have longed for, for such a long time."

There was a loud cheering and a toast was made to the future of the house.

"There is something else we have to celebrate," Martin said. "First, the engagement of my youngest daughter Annushka with Felix, two young people who'll make a happy marriage as well as a fruitful one. Secondly there is the engagement of Irina, the second of my daughters, with Daniel and they will have a fruitful marriage as well as a happy one. Thirdly I have tonight given consent to Michael, Lord of Altena Castle, to marry my oldest daughter, Yuliya. A toast to my daughters and the men they have chosen."

As if from nowhere glasses of champagne arrived and everyone drank to the health and happiness of the young people. Few wondered where this Lord of Altena Castle suddenly came from, and they decided he must have been raised abroad. Where else? Altena Castle didn't exist anymore. After the toast the three couples went to the dance floor and started the dance again. All the guests agreed it was a lovely sight and Yuliya didn't look as plain as they'd always thought she did.

The party continued for a long time before people started to leave for home. None of the guests noticed the change to the swamp, not until they woke up the next morning.

ooOOoo

Just as Zinaïda had promised, Altena Castle and its gardens were returned. This of course was rather a shock to the people of Altena Village. When they heard there was also a new Lord they were even more alarmed. Would he reclaim all the property that had once belonged to him? After all, their forefathers hadn't paid anything for their houses and land. There was a frantic if fruitless search for official papers that proved their land and houses really belonged to them. The people who did seem to have proof of purchase were soon told that the property might not have belonged to the original seller. There were a lot of worried people in the village.

As soon as Michael heard about these fears, he called a meeting in the large banqueting room of the town hall. He reassured the Alteneans that he had no intention of taking anything from them. To allay any fears completely, he signed proofs of ownership for everyone. Michael was left with Altena Castle in its park, the abandoned East and West farms, a good part of the forest, and some vineyards that Zinaïda had kept for him.

Two months after the engagement party Annushka married Felix. Doves and hearts featured largely in the décor for their feast. Three months after that Irina and Daniel tied the knot. Their wedding celebration was lavish, bordering on the ostentatious. Yuliya was happy to see that despite all the wealth that surrounded her Irina was more interested in her new husband.

Michael had to wait longer before he felt he could take Yuliya to his home. First he wanted to make sure that his farms were operational again. Luckily the grounds of the East farm and the West farm weren't as badly overgrown as Michael had feared. In autumn the year after the curse had been broken Yuliya became his wife and mistress of Altena Castle.

Zinaïda's invisible workforce had been replaced by real people. Despite all the staff they had, Michael worked hard on his farms and Yuliya supervised and assisted in every aspect of the household. They spent their evenings still in the little parlour or the big library and sometimes they occupied the kitchen to cook for themselves because they enjoyed it. Zinaïda visited them regularly, happy in the knowledge she had done the right thing for Michael, even if it had been difficult for him at times.

Altena Castle never became as grand or wealthy as it had been, and certainly never as important as in the days of Michael's forefathers, but it had become a happy place for everyone who lived there, and that is a greater wealth than money and grandeur.

THE END


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